#GiveBIGWA Bonus! Samantha's high school years

MAY 5, 2020

This has been a thrilling run towards our Spring Quarter fundraising challenge with #GiveBIGWA! Our initial goal was $15K and you blew past that marker with your generosity earlier today, (THANK YOU!!!) prompting us to make a stretch goal of $25K. Can you help us reach it? Your donations go directly into creating new photography programs for partner organizations serving students that have been affected by the Coronavirus outbreak, help us hire the amazing Teaching Artists to teach those programs, and support arts access for any teen who needs it. There are just a few hours left…we aren’t that far off at all! Together we can affect real change. #GiveBIGforArts

So why is it so important that we keep our programming going—even though it’s happening in a strange new virtual space? Because we were all teens once, and for many of us, art was the thing that we could count on to help us through those awkward and often awful years. And, no, you couldn’t pay me enough to go back and relive my high school days.

I know firsthand how important the arts can be. I grew up in rural Texas with ideas and dreams that were bigger than the small town I called home. That made me an easy target at school, as I didn’t fit in to the established ways or existing cliques. Home life wasn’t much better with an alcoholic father – we learned to walk on eggshells and it was hard to make lasting friendships when you didn’t feel safe inviting friends over. In those middle school years, I turned to theatre and the arts as a way to escape the realities of life. Through theatre you can become someone else, even if just for a little while. But it quickly became so much more – a lifeline that taught me the skills I needed to survive and ultimately thrive.

In 8th grade my parents divorced and we were raised solely by my amazing mom who went to heroic efforts to keep me and my little brother safe, fed, and housed. But that also meant long work hours—often away from home for days at a time. Through her example, she taught me the values of hard work, education, and fighting for what you believe in. So, while I was struggling to help raise my brother and take care of things at home, I found my second family and safety net in the arts. Through school I had access to theatre, visual arts, and dance – a luxury most schools don’t have today. I was surrounded by creative, caring adult teachers and mentors and great friends who taught me how to persevere and helped me realize that dream of a brighter future for myself in the arts.

I am honored to lead Youth in Focus’ efforts to bring arts education and mentorship to teens who may not have access to the arts or other support systems in their life. Through our partner programs we are reaching youth who are furthest from education justice – students of color, students facing poverty or housing insecurity, and students for whom English isn’t their first language. Every day I work to pay forward the support and love I received from arts teachers (and many other teachers) in a rural high school in Texas. Will you join me in paying it forward for teens who need the arts now more than ever?

In Community,

Samantha Kelly, Executive Director

Enjoy these epic flashback moments from my “artistic” teen years! Full disclosure, I grew up in Texas…in the 80s…and BTH (Big Texas Hair) was a real thing, y’all!  We would love to see your flashback teen photos! Tag the #ArtsyandAwkward and we’ll share them!