On April 24th, Free Arts hosted the annual Art + Mentors = Resilience Conference virtually for the first time! To strengthen and connect our community, the Free Arts programs team offered workshops led by professionals who share our commitment to supporting children. These workshops included: “Healing Our Historical Trauma”, “Embracing Our LGBTQ+ Youth”, “Understanding the Ways We Care”, and “Creating Safety: Being a Supportive Adult.”
The workshops were informative and offered conference guests the opportunity to take a deeper dive into trauma-informed care approaches and understanding the children we serve. Continuing the tradition, the annual Conference included art making and dancing! Teaching artist Kristin Wesley led participants through a visual arts workshop in which they constructed Resiliency Flowers. Teaching artist Niamey Thomas led participants through two fun and engaging dance warm-ups.
Conference guests were also treated to a spoken word poetry piece written by one of our Alumni, Rica, entitled Transformation. Rica’s poem captured the spirit of resilience and our Free Arts’ community. Serving to keep this community connected, the annual Art + Mentors = Resilience Conference is free and open to Free Arts volunteer mentors, teaching artists, partner agency staff, and Alumni. If you missed out on the fun this year, be sure to join us next spring, and check out our website and social media for other ways to stay connected to Free Arts!
