SAXTONS RIVER — Outburst Arts, a free monthly teen arts night at Main Street Arts (MSA), will be held on the first Friday of the month, from 7 to 9 p.m. Teens from the greater Rockingham area are invited to make art, craft, listen to music, eat snacks, and spend time with new and old friends.
"As the youth services librarian at the Rockingham Free Public Library, one of my goals is to create welcoming spaces where youth can express themselves and make connections," said Sam Howard in a news release. "Main Street Arts and I worked together to start the program [last year]. Outburst Arts is designed to be a youth-led place."
This will be the second year the program will be offered at MSA, with a few changes. Outburst Arts continues through the end of the school year. All the art created can be submitted to an end of year exhibit at MSA and will include vocal, written, and art pieces.
Neil Allen is the director of Greater Falls Connections in Bellows Falls and the adult lead for the program. He says, "this is a good opportunity for the teens to meet other teens who are interested in the arts, create positive life experiences, and, hopefully, find trusted adults they can connect with outside of the usual places like school, sports, or church. These are all important aspects of substance use prevention and part of why I wanted to be part of this program."
"Adults are there to make sure the program runs, and the teens are the ones directing things," Allen continued. "There is the saying from the disabled community: 'Nothing for us without us,' and those of us in prevention believe this as well. This is the best way to allow the teens to be seen and heard. I'm excited to see what the teens want to do and work with the youth leadership group to make this a creative, fun program for them."
MSA is located at 35 Main Street in Saxtons River. The site has a ramp, elevator, and accessible bathrooms. For more information, contact Allen at neilpierceallen@gmail.com or 603-558-8549.
This The Arts item was submitted to The Commons.