Caldera Arts

Dan wieden and his family established Caldera in 1996 to focus on the strengths of youth and their communities, led by the belief that "when youth are given access to the explosive power of creativity, they can change their world." Since then, Caldera has engaged over 15,000 youth through an award-winning, seven-year cohort model that includes a robust summer program, in-school partnerships, residencies and performances. Continued on schedule o.in 2023, melissa dollar, research + learning specialist, began work and compiled a ytd survey report. Among findings, we learned that learners consistently feel connected and supported by adults + peers at Caldera, and that youth are drawn to Caldera for art and fun. Caldera's focus on research and insights caught the attention of the american evaluation association case competition where evaluators competed to provide Caldera a potential evaluation framework.caldera continued to expand its ecosystem this year through the 35 resident artists who dove into creative practice in sisters (5 provided direct instruction with Caldera learners). Blue lake also saw the return of numerous groups who chose Caldera as a special place to host their own experiences. We also fostered other community partnerships such as: * vmanos outside, who toured Caldera with latin families in central or* trout unlimited, who hosted numerous youth field trips at Caldera, and* wieden+kennedy, who both utilized Caldera for a staff retreat experience and partnered on forever curious, a day for Caldera learners to visit the agency and find their creative spark alongside w+k adult volunteers. A review of survey data revealed that Caldera is doing well at fostering youth connections and support from adults and peers, and that learners see Caldera as a place to share their thoughts and feelings through art. Outcomes also improve with age, indicating that the program is more impactful as learners attend over time. We served 443 young learners, exceeding pre-pandemic numbers.