We recently connected with Paige Walden and Mary Ellen Bryan and have shared our conversation below.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
CommUNITY Arts STL’s focus is arts access for all. Our big project right now is the expansion of the program Community Arts Bus (CAB). CAB removes transportation and financial barriers to make equitable access to arts education. For the children that need it the most, CAB picks up students directly from school, provides after school snacks, tutoring (partnering with local organization, Stomp the World), and a safe space to be social. From there, each CAB kid chooses an after-school arts education program. They have a choice among our list of pARTners. pARTners are local creative programs such as Central Studio Academy (dance), Pianos for People (music), And Lit shop (literacy and trade skills for girls). CAB kids receive the opportunity and space to build social emotional skills, learn an artform, and create a community through the arts. The last piece of the puzzle is pairing each CAB kid with a volunteer CABBIE driver. This driver provides a safe and direct ride home from their program and serves as a positive, consistent adult figure to connect with each week. CABBIEs are more than just cab drivers. They are an outlet for youth to connect with while they are growing their artistic skills and identity.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. A strong skill that both Paige and Mary Ellen share is adaptability. No matter the situation or problems that arise (there WILL ALWAYS be challenges), a solution-focused attitude will allow you to keep going forward. Businesses, projects, and ideas need energy, time and focus to come to fruition and continue growth. Being resilient and adaptable allows the setbacks to become road bumps instead of road blocks.
2. Creativity is a crucial driver of success for business and everyday life. It can be the spark of a new idea, a helpful tool for problem solving, and provides a competitive edge to your projects next to those around you.
3. Another key skill to possess is motivation. It increases your productivity to be more focused, and create high quality work. Furthermore, motivating others around you creates an exponential effect on progress. Building positive collaborations will boost those around you, and encourage others to give you a boost when you need it most.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/communityartsstl
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/communityartsstl
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/community-arts-stl
- Twitter:
- Yelp:
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