Dear Friend of New Urban Arts,

At the end of the school year, we survey our students and the most common word used to describe New Urban Arts was “home.”

We need your support to provide this home. Please give now.

As summer vacation begins, you can really understand what students mean when they call New Urban Arts home. Our summer programs don’t start for a few weeks, but if you visit, you’ll see students here anyway.

And we welcome them. They say hello to the staff; they ask for academic advice; they visit with friends from other schools. Summer is also when our alumni return from college, and they also spend a lot of time here. They make art; they see old friends; they catch up with staff and mentors.

Youth-driven community space, where teenagers of various ages and backgrounds relate freely and safely, even without the prompting of formal programs, is rare, especially when school’s out. But summer is precisely when the risks and challenges faced by low income youth are magnified, and when they most need a place like New Urban Arts.

Research tells us that during the summer kids fall behind, they disconnect from learning, fail to develop important life and academic skills, and then struggle when school starts again. Our students can’t afford the summer enrichment programs that wealthier families easily provide.

With your help, we can offer students the experiences they need. Please make sure that we can continue to serve students all summer in both formal and informal programs. Your gift will help, especially at this critical time of year, when the need is great and funding is hard to come by.

Sincerely,

Tamara Kaplan
Interim Executive Director

P.S. Please try to give before our fiscal year ends on June 30th.