Grow With Us This Spring!    Spring is here and we are thrilled to GROW our arts programming and welcome new site partners. We are on track to support more youth, adults, and seniors than ever before.     This year, we are thrilled to share our new programming site partners:   Deerfield High School Cool Learning Experience Affirm Christian Leadership Academy   Lake Bluff Library Lake Villa District Library     Grow with us!   Did you know that volunteering and giving back to your community is good for YOU and can help YOU grow??     Yep. That’s right. Even the Mayo Clinic agrees, "Volunteers make an immeasurable difference in people's lives. The act of volunteering also benefits a person's health as well. Research has shown that volunteering offers significant health benefits…"  Improves physical and mental health.   Volunteering leads to lower rates of depression and anxiety, especially for people 65 and older. It reduces stress and increases positive, relaxed feelings by releasing dopamine in the brain.  Provides a sense of purpose and teaches valuable skills.   The work that volunteers provide is essential to everyday activities, giving volunteers a sense of purpose, especially when giving their time and talents in the areas they find meaningful. Older volunteers experience greater increases in life satisfaction and self-esteem.  Nurture new and existing relationships.   Volunteering increases social interaction and helps build a support system based on common interests. One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to participate in a shared activity.    Are you ready to grow? Click HERE to learn more about volunteering with Art Impact Project!

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The Inside Out Mask Project is coming back to Waukegan! Over four days, April 22nd - 25th, Art Impact Project will facilitate this unique and meaningful workshop to the entire class of first-year students at Waukegan High School, Brookside Campus. We need dozens of volunteers! If you are available during the school day, even if it's just a couple of hours, please consider volunteering for this very creative, impactful youth programming! Show these students that their community supports them and we care about their wellbeing by signing up as a special Art Advocate volunteer! No experience is necessary and training will be provided. Training takes place at our Lake Bluff office and is flexible. For more information, visit our website at artimpactproject.org or call our Manager of Programming, Cassandra, at 224-544-5450 or e-mail: [email protected]

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QUILL Our Quill project makes communicating our feelings easy. The students at NCCP's after-school program at Neal Math & Science Academy and Nuestro Center's YESS program at Northwood Middle School in Highwood, as well as the residents of Nicasa Bridge House in Waukegan, all enjoyed the experience of painting an expressive watercolor and then writing their chosen feeling with a quill and ink. For a few students, it's the only time they've used cursive! It was a fun challenge which they all embraced, while becoming comfortable with the concept of expressing our feelings in a positive way. Come express yourself at The Art Center Highland Park on the last Tuesday of each month, where we will be facilitating this project, courtesy of TAC. March 26th is our next session. Use this link to register for FREE: The Art Center Highland Park. All materials are provided.

HEALING MANDALA STONES NCCP's after-school program at Neal Math & Science Academy and Nicasa Bridge House residents both learned first-hand the benefits of a Healing Mandala while completing this project. Painting the mandalas on the stones reinforces the connection to nature and spring. They discussed how it was relaxing and calmed their minds to help them focus, as well as tune out negative messaging. It was exciting to learn a new technique to encourage mindfulness, as well as working with new tools enhancing our cognitive functions.

BIRDHOUSES I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the return of Spring than painting these cute birdhouses. The Veterans' group with Brushwood Center HMHB/SRACLC did such a great job embracing this time of renewal and new beginnings. Birds are often seen as a symbol of a special message, as well as wisdom, so we asked the Veterans to write out a special message of wisdom for themselves, and to share. This activity also encourages hand-eye coordination and dexterity, as well as promoting mindfulness and pleasant, calming feelings.

INSIDE OUT MASK PROJECT Some of the first-year students in the Freshman Advisory program at Deerfield High School had the chance to complete this insightful collage project. It gives the participants an opportunity to reflect and identify things about themselves, perhaps allowing them to show things from the inside, as well as learn some things about their peers. We are happy to support the Social Emotional Learning initiatives in our schools and creating a safe space for young adults to express themselves.

GETTING TO KNOW ART ADVOCATE, NICOLE! Our Art Advocate Volunteers aren't just the people who help facilitate our programming. It can range from the people who serve on our Board, to Event Sponsors, and people who are advocates for us in the community. Nicole Keith is one of those people. She has been in education for fifteen years, coaches three sports, volleyball, basketball, and track & field, is a teacher and curriculum writer for the Freshman Advisory class, which teaches life skills, executive functioning, high school success skills, diversity and equity, SEL, social identity, college and career readiness, service learning and more! How did you get involved with Art Impact Project? I was introduced to the Art Impact Project while working at Waukegan High School. We had a similar course called Freshman Seminar where we wanted to integrate the Mask Project into our curriculum. After Covid, as most schools learned, our students were really struggling to express themselves. SEL skills were on the decline. The organization's mission "to assist adolescents in coping with emotional wellness and facilitate creative expression to help build coping skills, understanding, and empathy" was what our kids needed and still need. Upon switching schools (Waukegan to Deerfield HS,) it was imperative that I bring this experience to the students of Deerfield. What do you like best about Art Impact Project? What I like best about AIP is their unique and supportive programming that the kids REALLY love to participate in. High school kids don't get very many opportunities to do art projects and/or express themselves in this manner, so it's truly a great experience for all! What is a word from the inside of your mask you wish everyone knew about you? A word/phrase from the inside of my mask is "Gets Real." I pride myself in being "real" with my students and speaking truths about some very "real" topics that we discuss in class.  What does Spring have you looking forward to? Spring has always symbolized a time to refresh-restart-reawaken one's self. I can most certainly relate to that. As the sun is beginning to come out more, flowers are blooming, and the students even begin to come alive again as the end of the school year nears, as a teacher, we are revitalizing as well! What is your favorite snack?   My favorite snack is peanut M&Ms.

"When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment." - Georgia O'Keeffe

Art Impact Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Enhancing Emotional Wellness Through Creative Expression in Lake County since 2014.

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Art Impact Project 104-1 E. Scranton Avenue  Lake Bluff, Illinois 60044 [email protected] (224) 544-5450 artimpactproject.org