The primary mission of Teen Odyssey Camp is to promote resliency in youth using the arts as medium. The program will help local teens gain life skills and build their self-esteem via a curriculum which includes fitness training, dance instruction, visual arts, hands-on activities and mentorship. The summer arts program will culminate in an artistic production/exhibition created and produced by the program's participants under the advisement and assistance of the Camp's faculty. Dance Odyssey Studio is collaborating with GirlZspace, a collaborative project involving the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, Santa Cruz County Juvenile Probation, the Walnut Avenue Women's Center and other allies to access eligible youth. The program is modeled after the YouthARTS Development Project Handbook which sought to develop, test and disseminate "best practice" models of arts programs designed for youth at risk. The final product - the YouthARTS Demonstration Project - received funding and support from the national Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and several arts foundations. We are confident that this project will enhance and enrich the greater Santa Cruz community.
The program was not ready for launch this summer (2008), but Dance Odyssey Studio is working with local groups to begin a feeder program in the hopes that we can launch the camp in 2009.
