Art in Action

Art in Action Youth Leadership Training

The Art in Action Youth Leadership Training is a 5-10 day summer camp open to young people ages 15-25. Becoming a part of the Art in Action family begins at this unique training that engages the mind, body and soul. This training immerses young people in a creative environment where they can begin to express themselves, learn form each other, and incorporate art mediums into their activism.

Art in Action is committed to building youth leadership for social justice. Our goal at our youth leadership training is to give young people the skills they need to build a social justice movement. Through this experience youth learn how to build community, identify challenges and work collaboratively for creative solutions to the problems they face in their everyday lives. Art in Action alums have gone on to become leaders and movement builders with community groups, start their own projects and teach others about solutions for a more just world.

Our model of leadership training is embedded in popular and political education. We believe that every young person’s experience is valuable and important. At camp young people are truly able to express what they know and how it connects to larger problems we face in society. Our training themes speak to some of the most complex and challenging issues in the United States and Internationally. Some of our themes have included: Environmental Justice, The Prison Industrial Complex, Immigration and the US/Mexico Border, The links between Corporate Globalization and Militarism, Peace and Justice, Counter Recruitment and Self Determination.

At the annual training we connect issues by linking the roots of global injustice and talking about issues such as Environmental Injustice, Militarism and Corporate Globalization, youth are able to connect and relate problems they face and struggles they are involved in, with people's struggles for justice around the world.

Integrated in this popular and political education are the different art mediums that are taught by seasoned and professional artists/activist that make up our facilitation team. Art is an essential aspect of our training. It is the tool that brings young people’s voices out for the larger community to hear. The culmination of our training is a community theater performance that includes spoken word poetry, hip-hop, original music, dance, theater, and visual/media arts. The theater performance is typically held in the community where the camp occurs.

What is a day at Art in Action Youth Leadership Training camp like?

BREAKFAST 9AM

Linking the Issues Workshop:
How Do We Stop Violence in Our Communities?

LUNCH 1PM

ART STORM: Group Brainstorm on what art we want to make! Everyone shares ideas for poems, dance moves, visual arts props, hip-hop lyrics, theater pieces, songs, etc…

3:30-5PM: Free time

DINNER 7PM

HIP-HOP HISTORY: Learn the history of this cultural movement and then practice rhyming in a freestyle cypher!

9PM Free time