Asian Arts Initiative Youth Workshops

The Asian Arts Initiative hosts a series of ongoing yearly youth workshops. By providing art-making opportunities and a safe space for Asian American teens, we hope that teens will have a chance to explore and express their experiences and connect with others in their community. Projects over the years have included theater, spoken word, poetry, writing, documentary video, narrative film, short video, drawing/painting, mural making, hip-hop dance, DJ techniques, and many more. Most of the youth workshops run after school or on weekends during the academic year from September through June, generally with three ongoing weekly workshops and occasional one-day workshops. Through these workshops, we hope that teens will: develop greater understanding of their own and each others experience; be able to express their personal stories and how they relate to a larger social context; develop critical thinking skills through dialogue; find ways to incorporate their experience and understanding into their art; demonstrate improvement in specific artistic skills; and pursue further opportunities for community-based arts in the future.