D.Y.I. Detroit Youth Initiative
There are thousands of children in Detroit with a natural talent and enthusiasm for the fine and performing arts. At DYI, we strive to give those children the means to pursue their passion and cultivate their creativity. By partnering with local studios, we hope to give every child a chance to gain the self-esteem and character-building that visual and performing arts education can provide.
Our Mission:
To provide access to fine and performing arts education to at-risk youth in Detroit.
About Us:
In March 2007, we launched the Detroit Youth Initiative. Our mission is to provide access to fine and performing arts education to at-risk youth in Detroit. We're especially interested in helping kids who otherwise wouldn't have access to these classes, for financial reasons. The catalyst for us was the announcement that, due to budgetary shortfalls, the Detroit Public Schools were considering closing dozens of neighborhood schools, in addition to the cuts they were already forced to make over the past few years. Sure, some kids can move to suburban or charter schools to get a more well-rounded curriculum, but what happens to the kids who can't? That's why we launched DYI.
Within days of our mini-epiphany, we had launched a small pilot program with our first community partner, Dance Expressions in St. Clair Shores. Due to the overwhelming response to the pilot, we’re kicking off a full-scale, multi-discipline set of programs in Fall 2007. We’re going to need a lot of help from the community, parents, and anyone else who has a contribution to make, but together, we’re confident we can make an impact.
Contact Us:
To contact us, please call, write or send us an email.
Jennifer Lesniak
586.879.7529
Detroit Youth Initiative
P.O. Box 648
Almont, MI 48003
We'll be happy to answer any questions.
