The DreamYard Project

Shoutout to The Bronx Defenders for visiting our Saturday program and empowering our youth with knowledge on immigrant defense, policy, and knowing their rights! 💪🏽📚
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Our BronxWrites Slam Finals at Joe’s Pub was a huge success! Poets from across the Bronx took the stage, sharing powerful pieces on community, identity, and home. Congratulations to our 5th/6th grade champions from PS 46 and our 7th/8th grade co-champions from PS/MS 95! A huge thank you to our students, teachers, and supporters for making this event unforgettable. 🎤✨
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🎙️ ✊🏾 DreamYard is excited to present a Rad(ical) Poetry Consortium Workshop & Open Mic with Jessica Diaz on February 27th!

This is open to poets of all ages -- come one, come all!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GY17JNUmaMux9TO_Cx3Q73uDPpf1TR9SQaZpAOoNLf4/viewform?edit_requested=true&mc_cid=ab554c992a&mc_eid=UNIQID
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A Rad(ical) Poetry Consortium Workshop & Open Mic with Jessica Diaz DreamYard is excited to present a Rad(ical) Poetry Consortium Workshop & Open Mic with Jessica Diaz on February 27th from 5:30 - 7:30 at our new space, the DreamYard Design Center at 337 E 162nd St, Bronx, NY 10451. Workshop: 5:30 - 6:30 Open Mic: 6:30 - 7:30 This is open to poets of all ages -- com...

🎙️💕 Join us on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at Joe’s Pub for an inspiring evening of poetry! After months of hard work, Bronx elementary and middle school students are ready to shine in the final round of slam competitions.
🔗 RSVP now:

2025 BronxWrites Poetry Slam Finals - DreamYard Elementary and middle school students have spent the semester working on their poetry: editing, rehearsing and memorizing. After a series of slam competitions in DreamYard schools across the Bronx, the best teams are going head-to-head on February 11th! These young poets have poured countless hours....

The Activated Fashion Class is busy deconstructing clothing, learning pattern-making, and reconstructing their own creations! 👟 🔥

👐 🎙️ DreamYard is excited to announce that it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a $25,000 Grants for Arts Projects award. This grant will support in-school poetry residencies for students. As part of the recent fiscal year 2025 announcement, the NEA will award a total of 1,127 Grants for Arts Projects nationwide, totaling more than $31.8 million.

“The NEA is proud to continue nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities across the nation,” said NEA Chair, Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects taking place, including The DreamYard Project.”

🎤 🎙️ Guess what, DreamYard?! The fun continues! Join us on January 23 at the Art Center for an afternoon filled with creativity with the wonderful, Kay Bell! There will be FREE snacks and giveaways!
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Also, save the date for the next rendition: February 6th!
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🌟 Join us for DreamYard's Arts and Social Justice Conference Day on Wednesday, January 29! Connect with educators, teaching artists, and community members for a day of transformative workshops, wellness, and inspiration. Enjoy new tools, uplifting ideas, and a light breakfast and lunch. RSVP by January 24 to secure your spot: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NT9dFSFcrhM1vYYOTtv7zngCMtAJNfgKLajfQOSyNzQ/viewform?edit_requested=true
📍 DreamYard Art Center

: Before the holidays, we hosted Bronx Early College Academy (BECA) for their intensives week! 🎨 At the Art Center, students explored graffiti history and created a collaborative tag with Austin Greene, while others crafted terrariums and zines with Ayaris Perez. 🌱 Over at the Design Center, students sewed ornaments, charms, and pillows as part of their self-care crafts. ✂️💖 The dance crew brought energy to the space with bachata, salsa, and more, led by Beverly Lopez. 💃 What a week of creativity and connection!

This past Saturday, we wrapped up our final ACP programs before the break with a festive Holiday Gift Giveaway! 🎁✨ Students headed home with gifts and smiles, while our Activated Fashion class wrapped up its lessons in pattern-making, showcasing their creativity in action. 🧵💡 Check out some highlights from the day, including our incredible students in action!

🖤 🎇 As the year comes to a close and we say goodbye to 2024, we’re wrapping up our celebration of DreamYard’s 30th anniversary. For 30 incredible years, DreamYard has been a guiding light for Bronx youth—and we’re excited to carry this legacy into the New Year.

Today, we honor alumni like Jay Julien, whose journey embodies the power of creativity, community, and opportunity. "Who I am today is BECAUSE OF DREAMYARD," Jay shares. "I will do whatever it takes to ensure young people who look like me and come from where I did have the same opportunities."

As we celebrate the end of an unforgettable year, read Jay’s full story at the link below. Don’t forget—there’s still time to donate to our Year-End Appeal and help us keep empowering Bronx youth in 2025 and beyond!
🔗: https://bit.ly/49IALuw

🤝 🧡 Exciting news! The 3C Data Alliance, with DreamYard as the lead partner, has been selected for the Bloomberg Data Accelerator Program (DAP)! 🚀

This national Creative Youth Development (CYD) collaborative is transforming how we gather and use data to amplify youth voices and maximize impact. 🌟

Since 2021, Bloomberg DAP has supported nearly 350 nonprofit cultural organizations across 89 cities in the U.S. and U.K., helping them leverage technology for greater impact.

📲 Click the link in bio to learn more about the 3C Data Alliance and how you can get involved!

☁️💛 Celebrating 30 years of DreamYard's impact, we proudly feature alumni like Keanu Menendez, whose journey is a testament to the transformative power of the arts.
"Returning to DreamYard this summer after a year felt like what drinking water when you're dehydrated feels like," Keanu shares. "DreamYard has been a source of renewal, inspiration, and unwavering support. It didn't just help me reconnect with my passion for storytelling and filmmaking—it gave me the confidence to build my future."
Read his full story and/or donate: https://bit.ly/3ZHkEJ9

☁️ 💙 As we celebrate 30 years of DreamYard, we’re proud to highlight alumni like Rafael Villa, whose journey showcases the transformative power of the arts.
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“To say DreamYard has been my family and my biggest supporter is an understatement,” Rafael shares. “When my own home didn’t feel safe, DreamYard became my home. It kept me focused and gave me opportunities I never imagined. DreamYard didn’t just help me find my passion—it helped me build my future.”
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Read his story: https://bit.ly/3ZMWZIs
Donate to our Year-End Appeal: DreamYard.com/Donate

🎤 🎙️ Guess what, DreamYard?! The year might be coming to an end, but the fun is just starting! Join us on December 12th at the Art Center for an afternoon filled with an abundance of talent and creativity with our very own Ellen Hagan! There will be FREE snacks and giveaways!
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Also, save the date for the next two renditions: January 16th and February 6th!
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🧡 🦃 This year, we’re filled with gratitude for our incredible community—our students, staff, teaching artists, and friends—who make DreamYard what it is. Each of you brings creativity, passion, and love to everything we do, and we couldn’t be more thankful to grow and dream together.

🍗🦃 Missed your chance to grab a turkey or pernil from us today? Don’t worry!
We’ll be giving out more turkeys and pernil tomorrow at the Art Center at 2 p.m. Supplies are very limited, so make sure to arrive early! See you then!
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Council Member Althea Stevens visited DreamYard’s Art Center last Saturday, where she had the opportunity to engage with our young artists. The students proudly showcased their artwork and asked thoughtful questions, making the visit an inspiring exchange of ideas and creativity. It was a fantastic moment of connection and community!
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