The Dreamyard Project

In-school programs - combines ny state-standards-based arts instruction with social justice pedagogy principles to inspire students to develop character, scholarship, and an artistic voice to create change. Our year-long program model offers both in-school and after-school arts residencies; one and two 90-minute sessions per week respectively plus weekly collaborative planning and reflection time. The following art programs are available: dance, journalism, design, maker, music, poetry, theater, and visual art plus leadership development, digital arts, and internships. Each Dreamyard teaching artist receives over 50 hours of professional development each year. Additionally, this year partnering schools also received free racial equity professional development training supported by The Dreamyard racial equity and arts liaison (real) team. The real teams work 1 on 1 with school faculty in an individualized coaching model that supports The naming and addressing of ways in which racial injustice lives within our schools and communities. Real team members guided our school's faculty in identifying choice points of action and transformation inclusive of answering questions such as: how do i create change in my community? And what is one thing that i need to shift in my role that will move us closer to racial justice? These activities lead to steps that each school can take to move towards racial equity goals in their procedures, policies, and practices.

Work-based learning - through our creative career pathway program, Dreamyard is increasing The percentage of high school and post-secondary students of The bronx, ny who are placed in paid internships, employment, and entrepreneurial experiences. A critical function of this program is our annual work-based learning six-week internships. The experience is co-led by a Dreamyard teaching artist and city university of new york (cuny) college mentor. Together they lead a career readiness curriculum and foster connections between The student and partnering businesses. Each of our 19 creative career paths is paired with a local creative industry, business, collective, or community-based organization that serves as The guiding employer - creating projects and assignments for students to work on and providing continuous feedback on student work and presentations. The six-week experience kicks off with 16 hours of college & career readiness training for each participant, followed by hands-on artistic practice working alongside a partnering business and supported by a Dreamyard teaching artist. Concluding The experience is a student sharing where our young people present their work to an audience of peers and professional mentors. Each participant graduates with a cuny recognized digital portfolio of their work and professional references that they can call upon when they need. In The summer of 2020, Dreamyard hosted its first-ever fully virtual creative career pathways internship program. The initiative was so successful that The nyc dept of youth and community development (dycd) selected Dreamyard's program as The blueprint for career readiness and youth development programs across The city.

Community programs - The Dreamyard community art center has become an important cultural and educational space in The south bronx - addressing a real need for high-quality programming for youth and families. Art center programs run during after school hours (4 pm-6 pm), saturdays (10 am-3 pm), and throughout The summer (10 am-4 pm) for a total of 1500 hours of programming each year. Over 300 students take part in a variety of arts classes such as fashion, visual art, theater, digital learning, music and audio recording, poetry, arts and social activism, and dance. Furthermore, all of our students have access to leadership development opportunities and academic support such as college advisory, community building, internships, and social work services. Kicking off virtually last year is The art center's newest program, cosi (community outreach and special initiatives), which includes our monthly bx farm to table events and bi-weekly parent advocacy groups. Dreamyard's community organizing team offers a hybrid (virtual & in-person) of bi-lingual programming for our parents and caregivers to reflect on family and community needs and determine how best to respond to those needs. Each program is meant to build supportive relationships among participants and their families to reimagine our world, implement new or remixed ideas, and practice collaboration within our community.