Camilla F., a 14-year-old DISD student said, “The only creative thing I did in middle school was doodle on the sides of my papers. Now, after discovering my passion for sculpting during Spark Dallas Summer Camps, I can further develop my creativity at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.”
Teachers rave about the creative educational experiences Spark Dallas delivers. With more than 70% of all field trip students coming from low-income households, Spark Dallas is making an impact on the youth of our community. In a survey, 93% of the teachers said kids tried new things at Spark Dallas; 87% said kids used their imaginations and more than 70% saw improvement in problem solving skills, overcoming fears and gaining confidence.
The old adage, “Teach a man to fish…” is widely utilized for its accuracy in portraying the human condition. It is applicable for children too. If we teach children to think, to be creative problem solvers and to develop their self-esteem through trial and error, we give them the gift of self-dependence, allowing them to be self-supporting later in life. We know that teaching children problem solving skills is the key to breaking cycles of poverty and equipping children for success.
We must focus on helping children grow up to be self-actualized, confident and independent adults. Teaching the Creative Process at Spark Dallas we help children learn problem solving solutions through trial and error.
To help prove this theory, Spark Dallas recently conducted a research study on the impact of our programming, spanning almost two years, and including more than 600 children from low-income households. Students exposed to the Spark Dallas creative process demonstrated an overall improvement of 60% in perceptions of their own creativity.
Spark Dallas impacts children across our community, having engaged more than 35,000 children in creative programming in just over three years.
Spark Dallas is proud to be a part of the largest community-wide giving event in the nation and is grateful to Communities Foundation of Texas for their hard work and dedication to nurturing a spirit of giving in North Texas.
In celebration of this day, Spark Dallas has planned a Create-A-Thon scheduled to take place during the 10 days leading up to NTGD.
On behalf of the children we serve, we invite you to support the continued creative development of area youth by making a contribution to Spark Dallas.
By Beverly Davis, Spark Dallas CEO
* Graphic and photo provided by Spark Dallas
In nine years, Communities Foundation of Texas‘ North Texas Giving Day has pumped more than $195 million into the North Texas community. In 2017, $39 million was raised through more than 118,000 gifts benefiting over 2,000 nonprofits.
On Thursday, September 20, support Spark Dallas by linking here and spreading the word. #NTxGivingDay
