“Where to volunteer: Youth
By Alison Zeidman Wed Apr 18 2012

New York Needs You
Volunteers for this career-development program work with low-income, first-generation college students to build their career skills. There are several levels of commitment: Mentor Coaches collaborate one-on-one with students on projects like résumé-writing and interviewing, while Career Coaches serve on workshop panels, fill in for Mentor Coaches or give informational interviews. If you have more than 15 years of professional experience in your field, you can apply to be a Life Coach—they pitch in for a single session or on a periodic basis, sharing their advanced knowledge with larger groups. 589 Eighth Ave between 38th and 39th Sts (212-571-0202, newyorkneedsyou.org)
Art Start
Since 1991, Art Start has garnered national recognition and celebrity attention (from luminaries such as Russell Simmons and Oprah) for its programs, which give homeless youths and at-risk teens opportunities to build confidence through artistic expression. “It’s about allowing each student to find their voice,” says executive director Johanna De Los Santos. Volunteers work with young kids and teenagers on a variety of projects, including creating life-size self-portraits, writing hip-hop lyrics and recording songs. Supporters can also make monthly donations or submit photos and testimonials about the ways they’ve implemented creative problem-solving in their everyday lives. 721 E 6th St between Aves C and D (212-460-0019, art-start.org)”

Sponsor Spiritchild’s ride and support ART START at the same time. All money raised will go directly to ART START.

visit www.crowdrise.com/artstart and help make a difference.

Twenty squirming children seated in metal folding chairs and armed with bongo drums and acoustic guitars faced outwards towards an expectant audience. Where a silence may have fallen, a tension grew, and as soon as volunteer teacher Carly Deluca raised her arms, the children did not play so much as they laid assault to their instruments. I was at the Art Start Music and Art showcase in the cafeteria of a homeless shelter in lower Manhattan, and these kids were making everything resound.

Founded 20 years ago by local artists, Art Start is a non-profit agency that holds creative arts workshops for at-risk youths in homeless shelters throughout the city. The main goal of the program, according to Homeless Youth Outreach Director Hannah Immerman is “to create a safe space for the youth. Where they can feel comfortable to express themselves, try something new and be surrounded by people who are there to listen.”

And no doubt, there is real art coming from these tiny people. “I am a heartbeat,” reads one girl’s poem, posted on the cafeteria wall. “Dance makes me feel like a dreaming star on fire,” reads another. “Will my mother dance with me?” one poem asks in a melancholy opening line, before concluding: “YES!”

But it is not all fun and games at Art Start: the daily sessions that are at the heart of the program require a certain amount of grit on the part of volunteers. Art Start staff member Roy Morrison, as well as longtime volunteer and staff Carly Deluca, are experts in this regard, each able to curtail mischievous behavior with an arch of their eyebrows or a curt “That’s strike three!” But it is the structure they provide that allows students to thrive.

“Sometimes students leave and we don’t know where they went,” says Immerman,
“This transitional period in their lives sometimes limits what we can do. The consistency is what makes Art Start special.”
Homelessness is not going anywhere, and giving a kid bongo drums, paint, and poetic license is not going to put a stable roof over his head. Coalition for the Homeless counts the number of New Yorkers living in shelters at over 41,000, almost 17,000 of whom are children. These numbers have risen over the years.

And yet, people like Mr. Morrison continue to say: “I never feel like I don’t have the energy to keep coming back and I never feel hopeless.”

As you walk through the through the flickering hallways of this place, past the tough looking teenagers eyeing you up and down, the security guards drifting around like ghosts, you may wonder what it is you think you’re doing here. Look at those numbers. Who are you helping? Who do you think you are?

But when you sit in that cafeteria for a few moments, listening to the drums beat on, the kids spinning in circles, reciting poetry about dancing and how much they love their mothers, maybe these questions don’t feel so caustic

Thursday March 8th at 8pm

Bar Reis

375 Fifth Ave

Brooklyn, NY

$7 at the door. 100% of proceeds go to support ART START’s programming.
Invite your friends and family. It’s going to be a great night
March 8th at 8pm
Bar Reis
375 Fifth Ave
Brooklyn, NY

We are thrilled to announce that Spoil Me Fashion will be donating a portion of their proceeds from the entire month of February to ART START. Check out their beautiful jewelry here: www.spoilmefashion.com/charity

These beautiful posters were made by Chad Phillips, a friend of ART START. He donated 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the posters to ART START! Thank you, Chad!

Today, the novel “Nameless” hit bookshelves! Written by Kyle Chais, a former homeless teen, the book proves that there is hope for ALL homeless youth.
Save the date, Feb. 8th – 7-9pm, for a celebration in his honor where a portion of book sales will benefit Art Start. Good Luck Kyle! Check out coverage from the Daily News mentioning Art Start!

Feb 8th, 7-9pm
AOA Bar & Grill
35 Avenue of the Americas
NYC,NY

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/demons-homeless-shelter-a-young-man-finds-angels-article-1.1002069#commentpostform