Students Make Hats Today, History Tomorrow

The scene is bursting with energy. Fourth and fifth grade students buzz around the studio, procuring feathers, sheets of foam, pencils, and glue. They discuss their vision excitedly amongst themselves, planning how they will incorporate colors, styles, patterns, and structure into their design. This is the hat-making workshop at Arts Street in Denver, but the students are learning skills far beyond how to make a hat.

In this innovative workshop, students discussed the societal roles of hat-wearers, engaged in role play, and created their own characters. They were asked to consider the concepts of pattern, looking at examples and creating their own variations. These creative activities not only allowed them to be expressive and interact with each other in an artistic sphere, but also conveyed valuable life lessons. These lessons include strategic planning, presentation, and storytelling, skills increasingly vital to every career in the twenty-first century.

Arts Street, the host of the workshop, offers creative job training programs and workshops to many students like these each year. The non-profit organization firmly believes in the power of the arts to unleash students' creativity and lead them to a career. Nearly all of the students they serve qualify for free or reduced lunch at school, and most of them do not experience these types of creative, hands-on activities in the classroom.

Stella Yu, Arts Street Executive Director, has been in the business of crafting a strong future for disadvantaged students for over two decades. She speaks of job training in creative fields as the key to success for students seeking employment in today's economy and job market. The secret, she says, is finding something to do that is “valuable to society...and that someone will pay you” for. The organization's motto, “Creative Kids Today, Smart Workforce Tomorrow,” is carried out in profound ways each year, as more and more students gain creative skills and go on to find purposeful jobs. With an impressive alumni network and plans to expand the current programming to reach more neighborhood students, Arts Street is certainly helping to shape tomorrow's workforce into a powerful creative entity.

And, thanks to private donations from foundations and individuals as well as public grants, Arts Street is well equipped to embody its mission. Near the building, one can find murals painted by Arts Street students, who learn how to work collaboratively and creatively while being paid for their work. Their space itself, designed by an Arts Street alum, is a working studio for professional artists, while also a well-stocked classroom for all kinds of workshops. Featuring a Mac computer lab, kitchen area, projector system, and several tables for creative work, the room hosts a wide variety of events, from extracurricular programs, to community job training workshops in technological fields, to open studio days. In fact, every Saturday morning, everyone in the community is welcome for a free breakfast and time to create artwork. All art materials are free, and participants have the opportunity to sell their work for profit later on. Recently, Arts Street has brought in guest teachers to provide training open to the public in the emerging fields of technological communication and neighborhood asset mapping. This summer, they will offer classes for high school students in topics such as cognitive storytelling and functional art in the community.

A dozen elementary school students walked in the doors of Arts Street today. They walked out with invaluable skills that will allow them to reach the kinds of emerging careers which the twenty-first century desperately needs.   

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