From Creative Action, this month’s Get Involved spotlight non-profit:
Our Mission
The mission of Creative Action is to spark and support the academic, social and emotional development of young people.
Creative Action serves more than 20,000 youth annually in seven area school districts. As the largest provider of creative youth development programs in the Central Texas area, Creative Action uses the arts to activate the academic, social, and emotional development of young people. Through interactive classroom performances, after school, summer camp, and teen programs, Creative Action's team of professional teaching artists inspire youth to be creative artists, courageous allies, critical thinkers and confident leaders in their community. By discovering their own voice, gaining confidence in sharing their perspectives, wrestling with big ideas, and deeply engaging in the world around them, youth become better prepared to work through social, emotional and academic challenges to become the next great thinkers, doers, and makers in our world.
Founded by four University of Texas graduate students in 1997, Creative Action has grown to serve youth in various locations around Central Texas. Last year, Creative Action continued to grow and deepen their impact in the community. In addition to running their core programs, the nonprofit added 20 additional After School locations where youth engaged in high-quality project based learning, expanded their In the Classroom program to teach 11,000 youth social and emotional skills, launched a new Teen Program for young visual artists to create public art, extended their restorative work with youth in the juvenile justice system, and trained hundreds of local school teachers on the power of arts integration in the classroom. The organization recently completed a capital campaign for the Center for Creative Action, which serves as a community arts and creative learning center for the surrounding East Austin neighborhoods. The creative youth development nonprofit hosts community classes, after school enrichment, and camps at their new building.
Volunteer Opportunities
Administrative Volunteer: Help out at the office with both on-going and one-time projects. Assist with scanning and cataloging curricula for our after school programs, entering survey data, taking photos at events, organizing Teaching Artist supplies, or doing arts & crafts projects for their interactive in-school programs.
After School Volunteer: Serve as an extra pair of hands for one of the Teaching Artists at an After School program site one day per week throughout the school year. Creative Action has After School classes at over 40 campuses in Central Texas. Activities might include prepping art projects, leading games, encouraging and supporting students during class, filming movies, and modeling student behavior. The hours are generally 2:30-5:30pm or 3-6pm weekly. Criminal background check and volunteer orientation are required.
Special Event Volunteer: Help raise the awareness of Creative Action at one of our community or fundraising events. These are generally one day events, but some include an orientation or training before the event. Events include: Community Art Sundays, Big Hair Country Fair, Summer Pageant in the Park, Youth Arts Festival, and Friend Fest.
Summer Camp Volunteer: Creative Action offers week-long camps in the summer (June-early August) that focus on different creative themes like visual art, dance, theatre, and filmmaking. Support Teaching Artists and campers at each site throughout the summer. Assist in checking students in and out, setting up lunch, facilitating art projects, leading games, and managing the classroom. The schedule and commitment can be flexible, and camp hours are generally 8:30am-5:30pm.
Internships: Creative Action offers unpaid internships in Marketing, Development and Programming based on interest and experience level. The Volunteer Coordinator and appropriate staff work with applicants to determine the structure of the internship.
Creative Action Flickr https://vimeo.com/creativeactionchannel/channels">Creative Action Vimeo
