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by Raven Grover
Children’s Program Specialist,
NPFS
We may all be created equal, but there is
very little that keeps us equal. Art is one of the amazing things
in this world that has the power to bring us together. When it
comes to us at Northeast Pinellas Family Solutions, formerly the
Safety Harbor Neighborhood Family Center we are most worried about
children and keeping them as equal as we can. Unfortunately, the
difference economics can create is extreme and bridging that gap
can be difficult.
Children in low income settings suffer
from a variety of problems such as “domestic violence, child
maltreatment, parental substance abuse, depression, and parental
and childhood disabilities. While families at all income levels can
experience these challenges, many of these challenges are
disproportionately frequent among low-income families,”
Michelle Beadle said in comments at Roundtable on Children in
Low-Income Families, held Jan. 12.
With all of these factors affecting the
daily life of our low-income youth it’s no surprise that they
also have problems in school. What should be done to give our
low-income kids a boost up? How about introducing them to some
art?
Art is an amazing subject to introduce to
children. In an article in the Arkansas River Valley Arts Center it
tells us that art is capable of instilling skills in children to
enhance their everyday life such as decision making, reasoning,
creative thinking, visualizing and problem solving.
If all children had the ability to do
these things imagine the difference in our world. Art has many
other positive aspects when introduced to youth. Kids enrolled in
after school art programs show less negative behavior as well as an
increased level of commitment, tolerance and attention spans.
Studies have even shown that SAT scores are higher for students
enrolled in art programs regardless of their socio-economic status.
Photography is the route we choose to take to help children gain
these skills.
Together with the Youth Arts Corp we
planned a summer photography class. We have paired with an amazing
artist, Stewart Larson, who is at the center every Monday from 2-4
p.m. through the end of July, to bring some art experience to the
life of 12 kids. Our amazing children will get to use brand new
digital cameras, with the gracious help of Best Buy, for the class
and even keep the camera at the commencement. With their new
cameras the children will tour Safety Harbor to gain a new
appreciation, with photographer eyes, for our beautiful town.
We will teach the students to edit their
photos using our state of the art computer lab. Undoubtedly, with
all the time that is spent making beautiful pieces of art there
will be favorites. The favorite photo of each student will be
matted and framed as a memento of a summer well spent at Northeast
Pinellas Family Solutions, working on a masterpiece.
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