| DESCRIPTION | CURRENT WORKSHOPS | PARTNERSHIPS | INVESTMENT | PRESENTATIONS | TRAINING |
Workshops can be tailored to meet the needs of the host agency. Please call Noelle Benjamin, the Director of Programs, for details :: 303.837.1550 
CURRENT YOUTH WORKSHOPS
YOUTH WORKSHOPS AT THE SPOT
Art from Ashes is currently in its fifth year of partnership with Urban Peak to provide the Phoenix Rising poetry workshops at The Spot. The weekly workshops from 2004 to 2008 are funded by a Colorado Council on the Arts YouthReach grant. Workshops run every Monday night (except holidays) from 6.30 to 8.30 pm. Click below to view our 4-minute video featuring the youth at The Spot.
Low Res (small file) :: High Res (large file)
SMALL GROUP YOUTH WORKSHOPS
A grant from the Colorado Council on the Arts and a grant from the Safe City program of the City and County of Denver has allowed us to offer three small group workshops at no charge for youth. Workshops are held in our offices at 853 Inca St. and run for one and a half hours a week for six weeks. Youth sponsors (parents, mentors, guardians, etc.) must ensure that the young people arrive on time for each workshop. The group is limited to six youth. Please contact Noelle Benjamin to sign up for the remaining six-week session beginning June 14 and running through July 19. Sessions will be held on Saturdays from 1 to 2.30 pm. Download more info: Youth_Poetry_Workshops.pdf
YOUTH WORKSHOPS AT THE DENVER CHILDREN'S HOME
Art from Ashes is working in conjunction with Flobots.org, a community program of the Denver-based hip-hop group Flobots, to provide the Phoenix Rising poetry workshops at the Denver Children's Home, Colorado's oldest nonprofit. The workshops will be held twice a week, from June 25 through August. The program is sponsored by the Hunt Alternatives Fund: 3rd Generation.
CASA START
Art from Ashes is providing weekly workshops for 15-20 foster youth involved with the CASASTART program from June 19 through Aug. 14
MILE HIGH YOUTH CORPS
Art from Ashes is providing weekly workshops for youth at Mile High Youth Corps (MHYC) from July 15 through Sept. 30. MHYC is part of a network of more than 100 youth corps nationwide, which serves Denver metro area youth ages 16-24. MHYC strives to meet the needs of a diverse community by offering year-round programs for high school graduates, school-year programs for out-of-school youth, summer programs for high school students and intensive specialized programs for college-aged young adults.
2Succeed
2Succeed, a program of the Mental Health Center of Denver, assists consumers to find employment while at the same time providing area businesses with dependable, productive and motivated employees. Art from Ashes will conduct a specialized workshop on Aug. 27 to empower participants as they move towards a successful career placement.
PARTNERSHIPS
Art from Ashes facilitators are in partnership with or have partnered with the following organizations to provide therapeutic poetry workshops for the youth in their care:
COST FOR WORKSHOPS
Art from Ashes prefers to conduct an 8-week session for maximum benefit to the youth. Workshop fees can be adjusted to accommodate the needs of the contracting organization, i.e., if the organization wishes to provide all supplies; if a guest poet is not desired; if the small number of youth participants indicates only one facilitator or only one hour is necessary, although our curriculum is most effective when applied over a period of at least eight weeks. Art from Ashes provides half the cost of each workshop through in-kind services and donations. For organizations that would like to collaborate on a grant in order to incorporate Phoenix Rising into their programs, AfA will provide narrative and support materials.
Out-of-state agencies will be asked to pay travel expenses in addition to workshop/training costs. For contracting organizations outside the Denver Metro area a mileage fee of 39¢ per mile will be added to the cost of the program.
Additional services for which grant funds may be requested:| Performance Stipend | $20 per youth per event | |
| Youth Trainee Stipend | $25 per youth | 2.5 hours per workshop (1/2 hr. prep/2 hours facilitation) |
| Chapbook Publication | $600 (average amount) | amount is dependent upon the number of pages, design costs and number of copies |
| Chapbook Stipend | $400 | 5 youth/10 hours each at $8/hr. (editorial board, typing, layout & design) |
To make a donation that will support an 8-week session for up to 20 youth, please download sponsorship information.
If you are interested in volunteering or participating as a guest artist/poet, please contact us via email or by phone: 303.837.1550. click here to view previous guests at the AfA youth workshops. Link to our page for ADULT WORKSHOP if you would like to join a therapeutic poetry writing workshop for those over the age of 24. Adult workshops support our programs for youth. PRESENTATIONSTRAINING
Art from Ashes provides local, national and international training courses for caregivers who work with youth. Please contact us via phone :: 303.837.1550 or email for details.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Media attention has been significant. The work has been featured in numerous publications, including the Rocky Mountain News, The Denver Post, the Boulder Daily Camera, Urban Spectrum, The Metropolitan, the Conifer Connection and the Colorado Springs Gazette. The program also has received a "Best of Westword" award for Best Use of Poetry (1999) and Best Therapeutic Poetry Organization (2007). Catherine O'Neill Thorn has had several articles on poetry therapy published in magazines and newspapers, both in print and online.
Over the next three years, AfA will focus on providing poetry therapy sessions in youth agencies throughout Colorado before introducing the program nationally. In addition to providing poetry therapy workshops, AfA will develop the program to introduce six other complementary therapies: visual arts therapy, music therapy, dance/movement therapy, drama therapy, massage therapy and somatic therapy.
