Infinity Visual and Performing Arts will be starting a new afterschool teen program this Fall.
Executive Director Shane Hawkins said funding for the new program came from a grant called “Generator Z” that was put out by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. She said the Foundation asked teenagers in Western New York and Michigan what they wanted in an afterschool program, “Then they actually paid these teens to help them create this grant RFP, request for proposals. So the teens came back with what they wanted. They released that to people who wanted to provide afterschool programming and then we had to write grants based on what the students were asking for.”
Artistic Director Jamie Lee Bonfiglio Davis said she’s concentrating on bringing in teens to find out what they want, “I’m super excited to get started and get their thoughts and opinions. And I’m going to let them take the lead and go from there. In addition to letting teens design any time of program they want here, we also have a really cool option to do some field trips with teenagers. So we’re not only going to say ‘Hey! What type of programs do you want to see here at Infinity?’ but we’re going to say, ‘What do you want to see?'”
Tune to “Community Matters” at 5pm tonight on WRFA to learn more about the new teen program and other things happening at Infinity Visual and Performing Arts.
Leave a Reply