ABOUT
BUILDING CONFIDENCE AND RESILIENCE THROUGH THE ARTS
25 YEARS HELPING YOUTH THRIVE…
Paso Robles Youth Arts Center is a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by Donna Berg. We provide community youth, ages 5-18, with accessible after-school classes in the visual/performing arts and creative enrichment. We rely on the generosity of our local community to fund our unique program model. Strategically located in the most underserved area of Northern San Luis Obispo County, we serve students with a variety of classes encompassing art, music, theatre, dance, and creative enrichment. Our program helps youth build confidence, explore creativity, and make new friends in a safe, wholesome environment.
Mission
Enriching lives through the arts.
Vision
The arts are a pathway to inspire and create fully empowered individuals.
Core Values
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- Fun – Paso Robles Youth Arts values fun and infuses our classes with experiences that bring students joy and evokes passion for the arts.
- Belonging – Paso Robles Youth Arts fosters a sense of belonging amongst students and families exhibited by caring, kindness, and love.
- Growth – Paso Robles Youth Arts promotes growth of the whole child through creative exploration and perseverence amidst challenges.
- Community – Paso Robles Youth Arts strengthens our community by providing accessible visual/performing art enrichment and empowering students with diverse learning experiences.
- Safety – Paso Robles Youth Arts prioritizes the safety and security of our students with established procedures and policies implemented to maximize protection from potential threats.
- Paso Robles Youth Arts offers (5) 8-week sessions of visual and performing arts classes annually.
- Classes include drawing and painting, hip-hop, ballet, urban dance, guitar and piano, theatre, voice and movement, culinary arts, and many more.
- Instructors are professional artists, passionate about sparking creativity in young minds. They bring knowledge, experience, dedication, and joy to community youth.
- All children, ages 5 – 18 are welcome.
Impacts of Art Enrichment on Youth
There were few studies in 1998 to prove the positive link between the arts and childhood development. Today, studies, often backed by brain imaging technology, link the arts to crucial cognitive skills.
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- The effect of music on early brain development is now widely accepted thanks to studies at the University of Washington Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, among others.
- In a 2019 study, the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC) followed 10,000 youth participating in arts programs. The conclusion: Students performed better on state writing tests, were better behaved, had more compassion for fellow students, and were more engaged in school.
- Fieldwork across Chicago Public Schools found that arts play a vital role in kids’ development by enhancing skills and knowledge that positively affect social and emotional learning and artistic ability and creativity – highly valued traits in today’s economy.
- The American Institute for Research cites positive effects on mathematics achievement by prekindergarten and kindergarten students after artists helped teachers integrate performing arts in their classrooms.
from our founder
Donna Berg’s passion and desire has been to give children of the Paso Robles area the opportunity to participate in a variety of art programs at no cost. Donna has been the force behind designing, building, programming and expanding the project for the past fourteen years. Donna has retired from her work at the Youth Arts, but her inspiration lives on in the minds and hearts of its dedicated supporters.
“If you can give your child only one gift, let it be the arts. After working in Los Angeles for thirty plus years, I was looking for retirement on a ranch outside of Paso Robles. I was looking forward to a peaceful time with our animals away from the city. Then Mother Theresa died. I was so upset and cried for the children she left behind. My husband suggested I look into helping Paso Robles children, and so Paso Robles Youth Arts Foundation was started. What I enjoy most about PRYAF is seeing the children’s faces after a performance or playing the piano/guitar or painting a beautiful picture. I am proud of our building, our teachers and staff and what they have accomplished.”
– Donna Berg, Founder