children with shirts spelling "Justice"

August: “Life Lines” Community Arts Project Explores

“Life Lines” is a free, nationally-recognized program that brings together social group work, the arts, and education to involve middle and high school youth in group experiences that promote leadership, develop creativity, and build community.

This summer, the theme was “Art as Nourishment,” and our program participants explored many different ways that art and art-making can provide nourishment to themselves and to their surrounding community.

Our Visual Arts Troupe led workshops for younger children in the Center for Family Life elementary school summer camps at PS 94 and PS 169, working together in small groups to explore patterns and sculpture-making. Our troupe members learned that by offering their attention, mentorship, and art-making skills to these groups, they could provide meaningful activities for the elementary schoolers and bring them joy.

Children making art

Life Lines Visual Arts Troupe also experimented with nourishing their community through public art, creating colorful tunics with messages they felt were important to share.

Children with shirts spelling respect and justice

The troupe traveled to Governors Island and took pictures with their wearable art in different locations. They also visited the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Arts Center to see the immersive art installation “Sun Seekers” by sisters Amy and Jennifer Khoshbin, a sculpture and performance work that inspired our group with its attention to healing and reconnection with the natural world.

 

Children with shirts that say "we can rest our mind"

The third summer project was group murals. This was an opportunity for our troupe members to remember that making art can be a way to nourish themselves, and that sharing art is a way to nourish those around them – a great reminder to take into the Fall as we reach the end of another wonderful summer!

 

Examples of art projects
Children working on art
Children working on art
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August : CFL Summer Camp and the Summer Rising Initiative

This month’s edition of Stories From The Field highlights our action-packed, fun-filled summer camps! 

 As part of the City’s first-ever Summer Rising initiative, we partnered with the Department of Education to provide enriched summer programs for Sunset Park youth as they begin to recover from the pandemic and prepare to return to full in-person learning in the fall.

In our greatly expanded programs, a total of 1,435 youth, 200 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) Counselors, and over 200 staff came together in a joyful spirit of community-building.

We enjoyed sports, games, fitness, dancing, drumming, outings at the park, Spirit Days, Camp Olympics, and outdoor performances. From banner-making and creating moon and star mobiles, to cooperative skiing and climbing a human ladder, to solving rhyming riddles on scavenger hunts, our summer days were filled with wonder and discovery!


Most precious of all has been the opportunity to spend time in-person with the incredible children and families of our community. A huge thank you to everyone who made this summer so special.  This summer at CFL was truly magical!