DMF Youth Back to School Fundraising Campaign

DMF Youth is fundraising for our 2020-2021 season of afterschool programs! We partner with Title 1 schools and homeless shelters across NYC to underserved students with programs designed to promote physical, mental, and emotional health. Our partner sites benefiting from this campaign include PS 38 (East Harlem), River East Elementary (East Harlem), PS 126 (Lower East Side). 

DMF Youth programs are 100% free for all participating students. Our holistic approach to learning combines dance, academics, mentorship, and Social Emotional Learning (SEL). This model provides students with the tools they need to understand and express their personal strengths, challenges, and social responsibility. When we focus on social and emotional skills, students learn how to thrive in school, in work, and in their communities. 

In response to the pandemic, our Fall programs will be conducted mostly online. DMF Youth's online learning model brings students together via Zoom to dance, catch up, and participate in SEL activities that explore themes like teamwork, leadership, self-care, and mindfulness. Every participating student will receive a care package containing a DMF Youth original activity, arts and crafts supplies, and everything they need for a fun, active, and healthy semester! Each day of programming, we'll get up and get dancing, release some stress, and complete an activity or craft together. 

Our services are more important than ever as our students face a  "new normal.”  Many students are experiencing isolation and mental health challenges as they adjust to life during the pandemic. DMF Youth provides a space for students to express their emotions, express their creativity, and interact with their peers. DMF Youth's mission to support the physical, mental, and emotional health of our students has never been more important.

The fall semester of afterschool programs will start on September 21st. Because Fall programs will be online, we especially need your help covering care package fees. Your support will put towards all the supplies and personnel we need to make DMF Youth run:

• Costs covering printing and production of the DMF Youth original activity book, the "Awesome Human Journal" 
• Arts and crafts supplies for our daily activity
• Shippping all of the care packages out to 150+ students!
• Support for our incredible team of teaching artists 

Participation in afterschool programming is a key factor determining a child’s success in school and in life. Students who consistently attend afterschool programs have higher attendance rates, a stronger connection to their school, and  improved test scores. Despite the proven positive impact, there are 1.2 million students in NYC alone who do not have access to afterschool programs. This problem disproportionately affects low-income neighborhoods.

DMF Youth addresses this problem by working in neighborhoods where access to the arts and afterschool is limited. We make sure programs are accessible by offering them 100% for free. We are driven by the vision of an equitable education system, where all students are provided the opportunity to live healthy lives and become the best version of themselves.

DMF Youth programs are especially necessary in the face of the pandemic. For many students, DMF Youth sessions are the highlight of their day. During a time when students have fewer opportunities to be social and be active. Now more than ever, our students need the social and emotional support central to our curriculum. They need to keep dancing to keep their bodies healthy and build up endorphins. DMF Youth helps support those needs, and YOU can help support DMF Youth!