Ages 12–18
Immigrant, Latino, Venezuelan, first- and second-generation, and underserved youth in New York City.
Youth arts education · New York City
Diaspora Youth Arts & Resilience Lab
An arts-based learning program helping immigrant and underserved youth strengthen creativity, resilience, cultural belonging and self-expression through contemporary art, storytelling and collaborative learning.
Current status: Program and partnership development
The Lab is not currently accepting participant applications. Recruitment, participation criteria and referral pathways will be announced after delivery partners, funding and implementation protocols have been confirmed.
The pilot launch is contingent upon confirmed funding, delivery partners, venues and youth-safeguarding protocols.
Program at a glance
Key facts for partners and funders.
- Status
- Program and partnership development
- Service area
- New York City
- Age range
- 12–18
- Proposed pilot reach
- 40–48 youth annually
- Model
- Two cohorts of 20–24 participants
- Duration
- 10–12 sessions per cohort
- Primary discipline
- Visual Arts
- Complementary approach
- Photography, digital arts, writing and multidisciplinary practice
- Nonprofit applicant
- Venezuelan American Endowment for the Arts, Inc. — VAEA
Proposed service area: New York City. Initial boroughs, delivery locations and referral pathways will be confirmed with educational and community partners before launch.
Why this program matters
Creative learning can help young people navigate identity, language and belonging.
Many immigrant and first- and second-generation young people grow up navigating multiple identities, languages and cultural expectations while having limited access to sustained, high-quality arts education.
The Lab creates a structured and supportive space where young people can explore personal and collective memory, develop creative skills, build confidence and connect with artists, educators and peers who understand the complexity of diasporic experience.
Proposed pilot modelAudience Annual model Learning cycle
Who the program is designed to serve.
Two proposed cohorts
20–24 young people per cohort, for a proposed annual reach of 40–48 direct participants.
10–12 sessions
Each cohort would meet for 90–120 minute sessions and conclude with a youth-led presentation, publication or community gathering.
Participation criteria and referral pathways will be finalized with educational and community partners before program launch.
How the Lab works01 02 03 04 05 06
Six connected learning components.
Contemporary art exploration
Participants engage with migration narratives and work by Venezuelan, Latin American and diasporic artists.
Creative practice
Young people experiment with visual art, photography, storytelling, digital media and interdisciplinary forms.
Cultural memory
Activities explore identity, family histories, migration, language and belonging.
Social-emotional learning
Facilitated exercises support confidence, empathy, emotional expression, collaboration and resilience.
The Lab is an arts education and youth development program. It does not provide clinical, psychological or therapeutic services.
Artist mentorship
Teaching artists and cultural professionals introduce creative pathways and models of artistic practice.
Public sharing
Each cohort concludes with a youth-led presentation, exhibition, publication or community gathering.
Artistic disciplinesPrimary discipline Secondary approach Delivery principle
Visual arts at the center, with a multidisciplinary learning approach.
Visual Arts
Contemporary art, image-making, material exploration and visual communication form the core of the proposed curriculum.
Multi-Disciplinary
Photography, digital arts, creative writing, storytelling, mixed media and collaborative interdisciplinary practice extend the visual arts framework.
Paid teaching artists
The proposed pilot includes fair compensation for teaching artists and cultural mediators, subject to the approved budget and delivery agreements.
Program journey
From welcome to reflection.
01Welcome and baseline
02Identity and cultural memory
03Artistic exploration
04Collaborative creation
05Presentation and dialogue
06Reflection and evaluation
Learning and developmental outcomes
The change the pilot is designed to support.
Creative confidence
Increased self-expression, communication skills and confidence in presenting ideas.
Belonging and cultural literacy
Greater cultural literacy, connection and understanding of personal and collective resilience.
Access and collaboration
More contact with artists, institutions, creative pathways and collaborative learning.
Empathy and intercultural understanding
Greater capacity to listen to, recognize and understand cultural, family and migration experiences different from one’s own.
| Area | Proposed indicator |
|---|---|
| Participation | Number of enrolled and completing youth |
| Retention | Percentage completing at least 80% of sessions |
| Creative learning | Pre/post participant self-assessment and portfolio review |
| Confidence | Change in self-expression and presentation confidence |
| Belonging | Change in reported cultural connection and belonging |
| Intercultural understanding | Reported change in empathy and understanding of other cultural or migration experiences |
| Community engagement | Attendance at the final presentation and partner feedback |
Final indicators and targets will be confirmed with delivery partners before launch.
How impact will be measured
Documentation for learning and responsible reporting.
The pilot will use attendance records, participant portfolios, facilitator observations, short pre- and post-program surveys, youth reflections and partner feedback. Findings will be documented in a program report designed to support continuous improvement and responsible reporting to funders and partners.
Youth safety and safeguarding
The Lab will operate under documented youth-safeguarding, consent, privacy and incident-response procedures. Before recruitment begins, final protocols will address guardian consent, emergency contacts, staff and teaching artist screening, codes of conduct, media consent, data privacy, incident reporting, appropriate adult-to-youth ratios, accessibility and non-discrimination.
Program deliveryInstitutional oversight Program framework In development
Defined roles, confirmed only when agreements exist.
VAEA
Nonprofit applicant and institutional oversight.
Exodus & Resilience
Program design, coordination, documentation and reporting framework.
Delivery partners
Teaching artists, schools, youth-serving nonprofits, venues, evaluation and safeguarding support will be appointed or confirmed before launch.
Institutional alignment
A youth arts program grounded in VAEA’s cultural mission.
The Diaspora Youth Arts & Resilience Lab extends VAEA’s longstanding commitment to cultural exchange, arts education and the visibility of Venezuelan and Latin American arts. Exodus & Resilience provides the program’s educational design, coordination, documentation and impact framework.
Partnership opportunities
Help build a responsible New York City pilot.
We welcome conversations with schools, afterschool programs, youth-serving nonprofits, libraries, community centers, museums, teaching artists, funders and specialists in evaluation or safeguarding.
Funding needs
Teaching artists, materials, access, safeguarding, evaluation and reporting.
The pilot budget and supporting documents will be published only after internal approval. The program one-pager, draft theory of change, pilot budget, safeguarding summary and measurement framework may be provided upon request once completed and internally approved.
Discuss support