Congratulations to all of the amazing youth artists who contributed their exceptional art pieces and participated in outstanding performances during the 2018 Citywide Creative Arts Week! For four days, we invited the public to join us at SF Camerawork to celebrate youth voice and creativity. This year’s theme was "Creating a Different World Together," which highlighted the honest perspectives of youth about their communities and the future.

This is the face of a new future. Kids are a part of creating the different world. - Malia, 10

Spotlight on Tenderloin Clubhouse

The week kicked off with a spotlight on Tenderloin Clubhouse members, who read from Magnificent. Heartwarming. Breathtaking., a book published by 826 Valencia that features youth poetry and essays. We also enjoyed a short performance by youth who are learning creative expression through dance with the Alonzo King Lines Ballet.

Spotlight on Mission Clubhouse

On Wednesday, we celebrated the diversity and creativity at Mission Clubhouse. Youth sang, performed spoken word, and presented a hilarious fictional segment of Mission News, a youth-run news show. Mission Drumline ended the evening with a powerful performance that got the audience clapping, stomping, and cheering.

Citywide Creative Arts Annual Showcase

On Thursday, we invited the public to join us for our annual showcase, featuring special performances and original works of art from youth members across the city. We were excited to see Excelsior, Mission, and Tenderloin Clubhouses’ Photovoice projects, which helped youth explore community issues through a blend of narrative and photography. The showcase also featured Faces of Hope for the Future, a portraiture project that captured youth members’ facial expressions when thinking about their future.

Art can be whatever you want it to be. If you mess up, you can turn it to be something even better than what you thought of. - Yazaira, 10

One Mic Teen Competition

The week wrapped up with a special Open Mic Competition, hosted in partnership with Notes for Notes. Youth members Alexis, Jonhya, Taluai, Winnie, Ivy, Vita, and Ananda got up to perform and blew us away with their talent! The winner of the competition was Johnya, a Don Fisher Clubhouse member, who performed “Ribbon in the Sky” by Stevie Wonder (watch his amazing performance below!). Thanks to the judges - Notes for Notes Area Director TJ Guardino, Mission Clubhouse Director Jasmine Douville, and Former American Idol Contestant Alesana Tolai - for giving constructive feedback for our youth.

The winner of the competition was Johnya, a Don Fisher Clubhouse member, who performed “Ribbon in the Sky” by Stevie Wonder (watch his amazing performance below!). Thanks to the judges - Notes for Notes Area Director TJ Guardino, Mission Clubhouse Director Jasmine Douville, and Former American Idol Contestant Alesana Tolai - for giving constructive feedback for our youth.

We are so grateful to SF Camerawork, BGCSF's Area Director Pat Zamora, and all of the staff and partners who helped make last week an amazing success. And of course, we want to give a special shout out to all of the amazing young artists who courageously shared their work, talent, and creativity with us!

Learn more about our Creative Arts program by visiting our Creative Arts homepage

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