The Arts Empowerment Project (TAEP), a 2021 WIF grant recipient, works to break the cycles of violence and trauma through arts opportunities that ignite change in vulnerable youth. TAEP provides high-quality arts programming, enrichment experiences, and social-emotional development for children in need of access to light, hope, equity, and opportunity, which together offer paths to resilience. National studies show that participation in the arts and positive pro-social activities contribute to great academic achievement and can mitigate the effects of childhood trauma, transforming lives.

For example, students with access to the arts in high school are three times more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than students without arts experience. Students with weekly exposure to the arts are four times more likely to be recognized in school for academic achievement. Furthermore, students with little or no arts education are more likely to drop out of high school than students with high arts involvement.

An independent study of TAEP’s pilot program by the UNC-Charlotte School of Social Work reported that TAEP’s students formed:

• Career and educational goals
• Developed positive peer interactions
• Grew more engaged in their community
• Accessed new opportunities and experience
• Gained new life skills
• Discovered healthy emotional outlets
• Became more confident

 

WIF funds are helping to purchase much-needed equipment to upfit the new space at the VAPA Center with the technology needed to enhance hybrid (virtual and in-person) learning and programming. Additionally, TAEP has hired an interim program director who is helping scale the nonprofit’s programs and implement strategies for onboarding new team members—including a future program director to support their infrastructure and sustainability.

In other developments, TAEP began a new partnership with an elementary school serving children in grades K-3 and expanded the Free Art Friday program. In December, over 100 students participated in the Free Art Friday workshops with TAEP’s teaching artists. Using simple shapes and unique colors, students created beautiful snowmen using oil pastels.

TAEP also hosted an outreach program, Holiday HeART Packs at the VAPA Center, and welcomed over 30 volunteers into the new space to assemble the HeART Packs for delivery to over 150 students. This year, as a result of the WIF grant, TAEP was able to finish strong and served a record number of over 800 children and teens.