Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2024, $50,000)
The Dreamcatcher Initiative Arts program will serve to 60 youth in Suffolk County, MA who are justice involved or at risk for justice involvement. Services will be centered out of the Greater Boston area. The three primary neighborhoods that Dreamcatcher Initiative Arts plans to serve are Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan. At the core of the Dreamcatcher Initiative Arts program are two direct service program components: Guided Dreams and Dream Studios. These programs provide visual and performing arts programming designed to offer alternative pathways for expression and provide a segway into arts professions for justice-involved and at-risk youths. Dreamcatcher Initiative Arts will guide youth to develop technical skills, build character, and work through their challenges using arts and creativity. Both programs will last 6 months and enroll cohorts of between 10-20 youth in each cycle, for two cohorts served annually. Dreamcatcher Initiative plans to enroll participants directly through partnership with Boston Department of Youth Services, with the majority currently residing at or recently exiting the Metro Connelly Residential and Harvard Street facilities. The goal of Dreamcatcher Initiative Arts is to reduce recidivism rates, delinquency, and high-risk behaviors.