I am an undiscovered artist from Flint, Mi. I paint as a relief and also as a livelihood. Knowing the impact art has had on my emotional and mental wellness I want to provide that same "peace" to other interested individuals, specifically youth. I would like to show youth in my hometown they have so much to offer the world with their voice, creative expression, and perspectives. Being that a lot of our local schools cannot see the importance of arts being integrated in school curriculum and the direct positive impacts it has on youth; our youth are at a disadvantage as these programs are no longer offered in most public/low-income schools. Successful arts programs recognize that art is a vehicle that can be used to engage youth in activities that will increase their self-esteem. Through my art program I have hopes of creating a public performance or exhibition in an effort to build participants’ self-esteem through public recognition. Effective youth arts programs contain activities that are designed to reduce the influence of risk factors by providing opportunities for youth to learn new skills and by recognizing individual youth’s efforts in turn, promotes bonding, which helps youth cope with the negative influence of risks they may face.

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"created TO create with Char"  

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Is a program I created that has three main objectives to enrich the local community and youth using artistic and creative expression:

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• To enrich the cultural life of my community

• To support local and undiscovered artists in their professional development by working in a collaborative environment combining all artistic mediums and various forms of arts to develop the content for the program

• To provide local residents and area visitors of all ages, ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels with a free and accessible outlet for entertainment.

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This program will provide various creative opportunities  for local youth in Flint to express what creating through the arts means to them; as well as engaging their parents in becoming more involved in their community. "Created to Create With Char" is a local artistic driven event that includes short workshops where we hope to engage children in learning about videography, illustration, photography, improv and  painting.

There will also be vendors from local small businesses and community organizations engaged to connect parents to the many artistic and creative 

focused resources in the Flint community.

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xoxo

Stay Plugged,

Char