Camp Making a Difference for Young People Who Have Experienced the Death of a Parent
WDCB’s Gary Zidek visits the Auditorium Theatre’s Hearts to Art camp.
LISTEN
“The point is the exposure, the learning new things, and the allowing for the vulnerability, when you’re on stage, it’s vulnerable, it’s scary. When you’re working on a group project, there’s a lot of collaborating you have to do, a lot learning, a lot of changing, so everything that you put yourself through when you are learning artistic things, also pairs with what kids of this age group desperately need in processing and dealing with their trauma.” - Hearts to Art director, Sarah Illiatovitch-Goldman, talking about the ways the camp helps young people deal with some of their emotions.
Hearts to Art director Sarah Illiatovitch-Goldman addressing campers after lunch.
The latest edition of the Auditorium Theatre’s annual Hearts to Art camp is underway. With activities based in disciplines like theater, music, dance and visual art, on the surface, it seems like a very traditional youth arts camp. But there’s a deeper mission being carried out at Hearts to Art, to encourage healing through creativity. All of the campers at Hearts to Art have experienced the death of a parent.
Hearts to Art campers learning some choreography
Created by former Auditorium Theatre executive director Brett Batterson, Hearts to Art launched in 2005. The camp has always been free to the hundreds of children and teens who enroll in Hearts to Art. Campers are able to engage in a variety of creative outlets in safe space that aims to foster emotional growth.
Heats to Art campers headed off to class
