DHS and Free Arts NYC Hold Traveling Arts Summer Camp for Children

In this one-week camp for 25 children from Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelters, sponsored by Goldman Sachs, the group will visit a different cultural institution each day for an event and hands-on workshop designed to expose youth to a multitude of art forms and activities. The institutions include NYU Kimmel Center, Chelsea Studios Theatreworks USA, and Scratch DJ Academy, in Manhattan; the Noguchi Museum and Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, Queens; and Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Botanic Garden, in Brooklyn.

Free Arts NYC, a DHS partner for over a decade, provides underserved children and their families with a unique combination of educational arts and mentoring programs that help the children to foster the self-confidence and resiliency they need to realize their fullest potential. Free Arts NYC's Arts Mentoring Program (AMP) provides youth ages 6-13 with regular opportunities to express themselves creatively and to engage with positive adult role models. Professional Program Facilitators (art educators, teaching artists, art therapists, and social workers) lead teams of Volunteer Mentors in using theme-based curricula to guide small groups of youth through the creation and discussion of visual arts projects. This process supports youth through building critical communication, social skills, and positive relationships with peers and adults.

Since its inception, Free Arts NYC has served more than 30,000 low-income participants, providing them access to the art-making experience, paired with positive adult role models, at events held throughout the year. The organization's motto, "There are no mistakes in art!," encourages children to be creative and to discover and express themselves in a manner that fosters confidence and resiliency.