Learning about life and art
November 21, 2017Positive Impact Through the Arts
“Did you ever think you would make a movie?” asked the Artsplace’s Lindsay Isenhart as she helped a teenager with her latest art project at the pottery wheel. The young woman shook her head and then described the short stop-motion animation film she helped to create over the summer.
“I’m excited about coming here every week,” she said.
The teen is part of an innovative program called Positive Impact Through the Arts—or PITA—that gives young people in the court system a chance to be creative, build skills, and head in a new direction.
Funded in part by a grant from the Community Foundation, PITA is a collaboration between the Newaygo County Council for the Arts and Newaygo County Juvenile Services. Participants range from first-time offenders in diversion programs to those in intensive probation. As part of their probation plan, they attend classes at the Artsplace and learn how to work with clay, make glass beads and jewelry, and more.
The classes also feature opportunities to learn about patience and persistence, safety and planning. While they create, students build social skills, self-esteem, and positive relationships with the adults who lead the program.
“Sometimes this is their only opportunity for socialization,” said Brenden Ruser, probation officer. “They get to be themselves without judgment here. They realize they’re good at this.”
“They can feel really positive about what they’re doing,” added Marianne Boerigter, NCCA executive director. She said that some PITA students even begin volunteering at the Artsplace. “The most unlikely kids will come in early to help Lindsay set up. They’re having a positive experience with adults; there’s consistency. They’re becoming part of the community in a positive way.”
