Teachers at Project Create aim to give youth a space to explore their talents, while simultaneously providing art therapy.
Katie Macyshyn stands at the end of a long table, with plaster and paint covering the area in front of her. Her hands gently start dabbing color onto a latex mask she's just pulled out of a mold. Around the table, eight young students all watch and listen as Macyshyn walks them through a process they'll soon have to try themselves.
"It's good for kids to learn you can fail seven times, you just have to succeed the eighth," Macyshyn said. Macyshyn has been an art teacher at Project Create in Washington D.C.'s Ward 8 for the last three years. The nonprofit's goal is to give young people in this impoverished neighborhood a space to explore their talents, while simultaneously providing art therapy. It's all in hopes of providing these young people, many of whom have experiencing housing insecurity, a permanent place to find their future paths in life.
"The kids that come here feel like this is a home away from home. Kids feel like they're being creative and having fun and making art, but they're actually addressing an undercurrent of feelings and emotions," she said.Every year, an estimated 4.2 million youth and young adults experience homelessness in the U.S. Most experts, though, believe that number is an undercount because of how hard it can be to contact homeless youth.
The belief at Project Create is that giving kids an outlet to grow their talents will help them find their way, no matter where they call home.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Meet Philly’s best 60 teachers of 2023Sixty Philadelphia public school teachers were honored Tuesday with the annual Lindback Award for Distinguished Teachers.
Read more »
2 local teachers honored with Distinguished Teacher AwardThe award comes with a $10,000 check as an extra 'thank you' for their extraordinary work.
Read more »
Students walk out of N.J. musical after teachers say there was too much cursingTeachers did a 'disservice to the cast and crew' by ushering 172 students and chaperones out of the theater mid-performance, the theater company said.
Read more »
Mat-Su teachers’ vote gives union leaders a strike option amid contract impasseJust over 90% of more than 1,200 members of Mat-Su Education Association voting last week approved a strike if it’s deemed necessary, but no action is scheduled, union officials say.
Read more »