NEW YORK—Mimi used to be a shy and insecure girl, she remembers. Five years ago, she started going on Saturday afternoons to Creative Arts Workshops for Kids (CAW). Now, it has become an essential part of her life.
CAW is an arts education nonprofit that holds free programs for under-resourced children and youth, offering them “tools for developmental, social, and aesthetic change.”
On April 24, CAW held its third annual ArtWorks Benefit in the Atrium Shops and Cafes, celebrating 26 years of successfully serving the communities of Harlem and other northern Manhattan neighborhoods.
The “most iconic” annual workshop is a two-month summer program that involves hiring low-income youth full-time for the design and creation of public pieces of art, particularly murals. Some of these youth have been formally adjudicated or incarcerated, while most had never been engaged with anything artistic.
CAW programs help children and youth to grow skills that are useful for their lives, beyond the artistic, like teamwork, public speaking, leadership, and, most importantly, a healthy sense of purpose.
