Engaging Youth

Through surveys, neighborhood visioning sessions, and conversations with neighbors of all ages, the Freret Neighborhood Center identified the need for enjoyable enrichment programs with a neighborhood focus for area youth, and has employed the arts as a tool to strengthen the Freret community. Summer enrichment programs, Saturday Free Arts, the annual Halloween Party and Great Costume Give-Away and the Freret Family Field Day are just a few of the ways we work with kids of all ages to build ties to the community through fun, family-friendly activities. The staff and Resident Advisory Committee together created the Entrepreneur Art Club, which launched in the fall of 2008 with support from the Fox Family Foundation. The Entrepreneur Art Club is the only program in the area that encourages children from many different schools to work together in community building activities, and impacted over forty-five (45) children in its first full year. Building on NHS' expertise in fostering asset-building in our communities, the Entrepreneur Art Club inspires and encourages area youth to become successful entrepreneurs.