All Access

ALL ACCESS is an After School Arts Project to empower local youth through sustained, arts-based learning experiences by collaborating to provide the space, people, and resources necessary for youth to flourish in community, creativity and self expression.

DNDA’s Youngstown Cultural Arts Center provides the free rental space and program coordination for three ten- week sessions (“quarters”) of afterschool arts classes during the school year. Classes are free and open to all youth between the ages of 13-18 years old. The arts classes take place in the community rental spaces at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, which include a media lab, movement studio, full theater, classroom space, and recording studio. Youngstown Cultural Arts Center has donated use of these spaces for two hours (various time slots between 3:00 and 6:00pm) during the school week, supporting the program by eliminating the cost of space.

These classes range in disciplines of performance, music, dance and digital art and beyond, and are taught by experienced and passionate teaching artists. These artists are independent or affiliated with outstanding youth serving agencies, effectively becoming “community partners” of the project. Currently, some of these community partners include (but are not limited to) Arts Corps, Rock School, Youth Media Institute, and Nature Consortium,  all of which are housed at Youngstown. To support the professional development of teaching artists, and in collaboration with community partners, adult trainings are offered in issues of cultural competence, and healthy boundary setting with youth. ALL ACCESS Afterschool Arts classes also culminate in quarterly ALL ACCESS “youth showcases” exhibiting youth performances generated in the classes, open to families and the community to witness and celebrate the talent of young people in West Seattle.

Young people are the vital source of ALL ACCESS. Not only do they participate as members of a community of young artists, but they also govern and steer ALL ACCESS  through the Youngstown Programming Committee (YPC). Twelve youth (ages 14-18) are selected each year to be members of a leadership group of interns. These members of the Youngstown Programming Committee not only participate in the ALL ACCESS classes, but also actively request and approve the new classes or programs proposed by community partners, ranging from agencies, to individual artists and other youth. They also fundraise and evaluate the programs through the year – assuring that youth voice resonates with Youngstown’s mission and throughout the community we serve.

Thank you for your support - Washington State Arts Commission