AFTER HOUR ARTS

What's there for teens to do after school? Some get involved in sports, or the school play. Others get a job. Yet many are left without structure at a time when their parents are still at work. At an age when risk-taking behavior is at its peak, is it any wonder that arrest rates spike for teens between 3:30 and 5:30pm?

A few years ago, we began to wonder what kind of program might engage teens in positive, enriching environment. We kept hearing our families (and the greater community) express a desire for their teens to be making good choices and good use of their time in the hours after school. We began talking with students about what kind of after school programming they would be intrinsically interested in.

Soon the After Hours Arts (AHA) program was born. We knew we would be filling an important role, we just didn't realize the kind of response that would come from the community.

We received initial funding through the Community Foundation to get the program off the ground. The following year the city of Boulder's Youth Opportunity Board awarded us money to by new art equipment and state of the art design software, the Jared Polis Foundation donated 15 computers, and we began collaborating with the YMCA's Breakthrough Arts program to provide free dance and computer courses.

We're now in our third year and the growth of the program shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, we just received a grant from the Boulder County Arts Alliance to buy film equipment, collaborate with the CU film department, and add film making to our ever-growing list of AHA art classes.

We invite you to come see for yourself why AHA is such a success.

Download the latest AHA Course Brochure and Registration Form.

For more info, contact the office or email joy@septemberschool.org