My idea would be to create a theater / art center to help youth and young adults express their inner artistic skills, whether it’s dancing, art, or acting, etc. Seeing budget cuts affect the arts in my school I would create an art center for parents, and youth to enjoy an evening to watch live performances whether it’s a dance recital, a play, open mic, stand -up comedy, etc. Every weekend we will have some form of a show for the audience to see. During the school week actors and dancers would be working in a part time job rehearsing lines and painting sets and or practicing dance routines. It would give youth an opportunity to work and gain experience in the art industry. Besides having performances on the weekends, during the week we would provide affordable classes in art, acting, photography, dance, etc. Those students would have an opportunity to perform at the end of each month. Besides having art jobs here, I would also hire a professional chef that would cook and bake healthy meals for my guests to enjoy while watching live performances. That chef would teach youth employees how to make healthy meals during the week and would cater every weekend and make food during the week for the students and employees to enjoy at no cost. We would also have the walls of the room full of student work. Whether it comes from the high school art class or from other students, it would all be displayed like if it were on a gallery for others to see. We would also have a gallery night every so often to give youth the opportunity to sell their art at no cost from us. Having dance be a fine art, I would turn the art center to give other youth to dance at our dance night every other week on Fridays. My reason for this would be to provide a safe and healthy atmosphere for youth to have fun knowing that neither alcohol nor drugs would be near youth and teaching them that it is possible to have as much fun without the use of the negative influence which can be found elsewhere.
I am currently a high school senior and I've been part my school's Drama Club for the past three years. Seeing many budget cuts affect the arts in my school, many youth don't have resources to create art. Thanks to Drama Club I've gained an interest for theater. I would have wished we had a Drama class rather than a club, because a class would provide much more resources and reach more students interested in that field. This is why my idea would be to create a fine art center, so students of all types from children to adults can have the opportunity to express themselves through art and have others acknowledge their hard work. Besides creating the center for just artistic kids, I would have a dance night every other Friday, strictly only for youth under the age of 21. Reason being would be so students can have the club night experience as youth, with out allowing alcohol or drugs, or any other negative influence in the room. Through the Youth Leadership Institute/ Friday Night Live I learned that youth are most influenced by their peers when it comes to alcohol and drugs. Our biggest message this year was to inform them they can have fun with out the use of alcohol. Many people would think dance clubs are not good ideas, but if provided to have this dance night for youth, it would reduce having students at house parties drinking, smoking, etc. Which in the end you know you helped one less person die due to violence at a house party or driving home drunk. Not only would teens lives not be in danger, teens will learn that its possible to have fun with out the use of alcohol. Overall this idea would benefit all types of teens by creating a positive, inspiring outlet from negative influences around them.
