Each year, during our four-week Fuego Youth Leadership Program, high school students work with a faculty mentor to deepen their industrial art knowledge in a specific department and create a final project that exemplifies what they’ve learned.
This week, eleven high school students came together at The Crucible to begin their four-week Furgo Youth leadership Program. The program, now in its thirteenth year, is an opportunity for Bay Area teens to expand their industrial arts skills under the guidance of a mentor while also supporting Youth Summer Camp instructors in the classroom.
Like most things, we weren’t sure our Fuego Youth Leadership Program would run this summer. But with modifications to shelter-in-place orders, the introduction of new health and safety guidelines in our studio, and funding from our program sponsors, we’re excited to announce we’re moving forward with a streamlined version.
Pablo Cambron-Valdez has been interested in art and sculpture since childhood. He would often make figurines out of clay his mom brought home from work or attempt origami from scraps of paper. But when he took his first Glass Blowing class the summer before high school–a gift he received for getting good grades–he knew it was something special.
For the first time in the Fuego Youth Leadership Program’s 10-year history, we invited first and second year leaders to work together for four weeks of collaboration, culminating in the 2019 Fuego Youth Leadership Reception this past Friday.
In our 2018 Youth Impact Report, you can see just how much you made possible—free field trips for youth, over $100,000 in youth scholarships, and much more!
This year, in honor of Fuego’s tenth anniversary, we have expanded the program to be four weeks long, where both years work and learn together.
Meet Kasa Du, Ku Rah, and Hla Dah! Originally from Burma, these three siblings moved to Oakland eight years ago, and participated in The Crucible's youth camps completely free. For Kasa Du, coming to The Crucible was eye-opening in a number of ways.
During Spring Break, The Crucible is running six different three-day classes completely free, specifically for Oakland youth, ages 12-15, who are interested in the fine and industrial arts but don’t have the financial resources necessary to participate.
In a time when expressing creativity as an act of resistance and learning STEAM skills are both critical to thrive, The Crucible’s youth programs are an ever more essential part of our vision and mission. Learn more about our Youth Programs 2017 impact!