Diversity Through Art and Culture is a program focused on teaching racial and cultural awareness by resisting societal bias and insensitivity to physical, racial, and ethnic differences.  Education through art has enhanced the understanding of our youth of other cultures.  This program includes trips to libraries, museums, aquariums, children’s hospitals, and police and fire departments.  We have seen an increase in acceptance of race and religion, and a decline in judgment of those that look different or have different beliefs.  There has also been a significant improvement in their ability to write about and research certain subjects via the computer and/or encyclopedias.  These initiatives help young people enhance self-expression and creativity, develop multicultural appreciation, provide exposure to and develop skills in crafts, and performing and literary arts.

Our program is heavily African American and Hispanic.  With the issues between races prevalent in the inner cities of Los Angeles and Inglewood, it is important the cultures come together as pre-teens and teenagers.  This is a new program with a curriculum that continues to evolve.  Many of the kids are challenged in their ability to get to our facility after school, so we’ve implemented transportation as part of the program.