What We Do
The Studio provides arts education classes to disenfranchised youth taught by media educators and professional artists in partnership with the Santa Clara County Office of Education, Office of AltEd. Students are empowered to express themselves through mediums that resonate with them, provide deeper engagement, and enhance their self-esteem as they learn 21st Century skills, collaborate, create, and exhibit their work.
Who We Serve
The Studio serves Santa Clara County youth at the County's community and court schools.
Why It’s Important
Research concludes that engagement in arts and creativity sparks a passion for learning, fuels imagination, builds relevant skills, and can change a young person’s life from surviving to thriving. Disenfranchised youth, in particular, do not have equitable access to creative outlets. The Studio is designed to bridge this opportunity gap by providing the experiences, tools, and teachers that would otherwise be out of reach.
What’s Been Done
- Since its inception in 2012, the Studio has connected with over 5,000 disenfranchised youth through in-class programming, film camps, and after school programs in community and court mandated environments
- Disenfranchised youth have written and produced dozens of music and documentary videos and have participated in several film festivals
- Probationary youth have helped create three community murals
- The number of classes and hours for youth to participate in creative outlets within Santa Clara County’s alternative schools and probationary programs has tripled to allow youth to have a deeper and less sporadic creative experience which leads to longer projects, more engagement, and richer work product
What’s Next
- The Studio is pivoting from “broader exposure” to in-depth experiences, specifically targeted at probationary teens
