A new Hill Strategies report is providing even more evidence of strong connections between arts involvement and an individual’s health and well-being (https://www.capacoa.ca/en/services/arts-promotion/news/444-art-goers-health-volunteer-satisfaction ) The report suggests that people active in cultural pursuits have a 25% greater likelihood of reporting a strong satisfaction with their lives.
How does this relate to Centauri Arts Camp? Our mandate is not necessarily to serve the needs of young people who want to become arts professionals (though many of our campers do go on to successful careers in the arts, and Centauri Arts Camp is a part of their process). What we want to do more than anything else is help young people to thrive through an involvement in creative endeavours. When we create, we find our voice, learning more about ourselves and discovering how to have an impact on the world in which we live. It has long been recognised that the arts build healthy communities, because when we exercise our imagination we are more likely to be empathetic towards others, to envisage the world as we would ideally like it to be, and to feel empowered to act.
Last year at the end of a arts camp session, one of our parents looked around in amazement and said, “how is it you always get such terrific kids here?” My response was that all kids have the potential to be terrific, and all of us show the side of ourselves that our environment invites. A creative, enriching environment where the emphasis is on community is bound to bring out the creative, supportive, empathetic and friendly natures of each individual who lives within it.
Julie Hartley
Director
Centauri Arts Camp