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Main IDEA Winter 2018 Newsletter

Thank You from Main IDEA!

THANK YOU again to all of our incredible volunteers, supporters, and donors who helped make 2018 such a memorable year for Main IDEA! Together, this past year we were able to significantly expand our youth and teen programs and events! Thank you again for all your support—we could not do this without you!

2018 Milestones

Community Mural

We painted a community mural on the playground at University Park! Huge thank you to the Main South Community Development Corporation, Casey Starr, and local artist Hank VonHellion for their collaboration!

Organizational Growth
We were able to add several new Board Members, launch a Volunteer Committee, and hire a full-time Executive Director!

8th Annual Summer Program
We celebrated our 8th Annual Full-Day Summer Program at Clark University, offering free arts programming to Worcester youth ages 8-12! This program hosted full day workshops of visual art, dance, and drama, music, and creative writing to 50 youth and 17 Teen Leaders, including transportation and lunch provision—all free of cost to participants!

Summer Program Expansion
We expanded our summer programming by 5 additional weeks by partnering with Creative Hub Worcester to launch a joint-program called, “IDEA Hub!” This program hosted workshops of visual art, dance, and drama to 25 youth ages 8-12, and 4 Teen Leaders!

Special Events
We hosted youth arts activities at and participated in several local events, including:

Events with the Main South CDC
1. Artists in the Afternoon
2. Halloween in the Park
Woodland Academy Events
1. Woodland Academy Cultural Day
2. Exhilarate Worcester Art Festival
City Art Festivals
1. Make Music Worcester
2. stART on the Street
3. Pow! Wow! Worcester!
Local Events
1. Main South Block Party (with REC Worcester)
2. New England VegFest
3. YWCA Stand Against Racism
4. Working for Worcester
5. Festival of Lights

Main IDEA at Clark U
Clark University students launched a student-led club called, “Main IDEA at Clark U,” facilitating students to volunteer on behalf of our organization throughout the school year!

Fall Arts Program
We hosted our 2nd Annual Fall Arts Youth Program on Indigenous Peoples’ Day (Oct 8th) at Clark University! This program hosted a full day of workshop in visual art, dance, drama, and music to an average of 20 youth, with lunch provided—all free of cost to participants!

Teen Arts Program
We re-launched our Main IDEA Teen Arts Program this past Fall, offering weekly arts classes to Worcester teens ages 13-17, including dance, visual art, and music—all free of cost to participants! In conclusion of the first term of classes, our students performed dance choreography they had learned at a Clark University special event!

Teen Open Mic & Art Nights
We began hosting monthly Teen Open Mic & Art Nights at the Worcester PopUp this past Fall! The program hosts Worcester youth ages 13-17, facilitating a youth open mic for musicians, poets, dancers, etc., while also offering visual arts activities and refreshments!

Worcester Youth Concerts
We began hosting seasonal Youth Concerts, providing performance opportunities for young aspiring artists in Worcester. The program hosts local youth ages 13-17, featuring young musicians, visual artists, dancers, and rock bands!

Teen Arts Program:
Now Enrolling!

Main IDEA is excited to launch another semester of our Teen Arts Program! The program will begin again in 2019 on January 15th and meet weekly on Tuesdays, 6-8pm, at Creative Hub Worcester’s Youth Art Space (653 Main Street, Worcester, MA), featuring various art classes, including visual art, music, drama, dance, creative writing, and culinary arts! This program is for Worcester teens ages 13-17, and is FREE of cost to participants (registration REQUIRED: https://www.mainidea.org/teen-program/)! Priority will be given to youth residing in the Main South neighborhood. Register today!

Upcoming: Woodland Academy After School Drama Program! The “Main DEA at Clark U” student club will be volunteering to teach drama workshops to Woodland Academy students, grades 1-3! Students will participate in imprav-based games and activities each week and build positive peer relationships with university students. The program will begin in January and conclude at the end of the school year in May.

Upcoming: we are excited to continue hosting our Teen Open Mic & Art Night series! These events are FREE, occur monthly, and are open to all teens ages 13-17. Our next event will be Tuesday, January 29th, 6-8pm, at the Worcester PopUp (20 Franklin St.). Come by to share a song or spoken word, sketch or paint your own work of art, and enjoy free refreshments!

Get Involved!

Make a difference in your community by joining the Main IDEA Team! There are lots of ways to be involved:

DONATE today!
VOLUNTEER for a program!
HIRE US to host a youth arts activity at your next event!

Valentines from
Main IDEA

2.11.19

Show your love for Main IDEA this Valentine’s Day and our students will send you a Valentine! Make a donation of $5, $10, $25 or more! Every dollar donated makes an impact and helps us reach our mission of empowering youth through the arts!