art

Toronto volunteer Phyllis Novak has spent the last two decades trying to maximize the creative potential for at-risk and homeless youth. In 1996, her efforts materialized into Sketch, an art studio that offers marginalized young adults, aged 15 to 29, the chance to express themselves through the arts, from painting to sculpture, photography to music recording.

“The underlying assumption behind every welcome or entrance [into Sketch] is that we just assume people are creative and that they have something to contribute,” Novak tells Samaritanmag. “That’s not always something that homeless people or marginalized young people hear. They don’t hear that they have capacities that the rest of the world needs to learn from. They hear that they have deficits and that they need to get those taken care of, and then they can participate as a full member of society.”

One of the central motives behind Sketch is to expand the opportunities for homeless and street-involved youth. It offers the chance for struggling young adults to get relief from the conflicts and pressures of an underprivileged life, and just let loose creatively and become part of a community.

“People first know how to be themselves and feel good about being themselves, and then feel okay about interacting with each other and building cooperation and communication skills with each other,” Novak says of the learning framework after which Sketch is modeled.

“And then the people [start] getting excited about the potential of using the arts to participate in the world, making stuff to show and to sell, or writing a song and performing it in public.”

This Christmas, why not buy a goat, a mango tree or a deep well for someone?

At global non-profits, such as Plan Canada, World Vision, Oxfam, War Child and UNICEF, the charities offer what many of us will perceive to be unique gifts, but go a long way in helping less fortunate individuals, families and communities in developing countries.

The majority of the gifts won’t break the bank and can be a lifeline for impoverished citizens living in war-torn Africa, disaster-riddled Haiti or Bolivia, for example. They can be purchased through websites operated by these charitable organizations.

Plan Canada (www.plancanada.ca) offers everything from baby blankets ($10) and mango trees ($12) to baby chickens ($15) and emergency survival kits ($25). You can help a child meet their educational needs ($15) or, in Haiti, engage them in art and play therapy ($25).

American singer Adam Lambert is using his newfound spotlight more than just For Your Entertainment, as the title of his debut album suggests. The American Idol runner-up is putting his voice behind DonorsChoose.org, an online charity connecting you to classrooms in need.

“It’s something I started promoting over the summer and it’s basically to fund public school programs,” Lambert tells Samaritanmag. “I chose to emphasize the arts.

“The teachers go onto this site and describe what their project is that they need funding for. For example, a music teacher will go on and say, ‘I need a set of 35 headphones for my music production class for these kids.’ So you’ll know what you’re donating for, which is kind of satisfying for someone who is making a donation, and it’s very convenient as well.  And they’ll post little articles about how it went.”

The site is laid out really simply with details about the school, the project cost, and includes a goal bar showing how much money is needed and how much has been donated to date. One teacher needs two ELMO visual presenters for the classroom; another bus transportation for a 4-day Chicago culture trip for 80 students and four teachers scheduled for June.