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THE DREAM BIG FOUNDATION CHANGES THE WORLD THROUGH ART

 

The Dream Big Foundation is the brainchild of Educator and Visual Artist, Israel Crooks. Founded in 2013, The Dream Big Foundation is a Non-Profit Organization mandated to raise funds for:

 

  • Annual scholarships for students in the School of Visual Arts at the Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston, Jamaica;

  • Annual scholarships for students in the Visual and Creative Arts Program at Sheridan College in Ontario, Canada;

  • Implementing arts-based community programs developed for at-risk youth in Kingston, Jamaica and The Hamilton-Halton Regions of Ontario, Canada.

 

Israel's thesis in his final year of studies towards his Bachelor of Education at Brock University was on the use of arts-based learning methods to bridge cultural, racial, ethnic, and even socio-economic divides. Most encouraging of his research were his findings that participating low income youth in community arts programs made statistically significant gains in artistic and social skills, as well as statistically significant improvements in emotional problems. He was able to conclude that youth’s self-esteem, social skills, and leadership competencies - even levels of juvenile delinquency - were improved by community arts programs.

 

Israel comes from such a background; he is quick to credit his parents' firm hand in keeping him from delinquency; however, he also talks about art as his "escape": the place where he could express thoughts and emotions forbidden to be spoken, and where he could make meaning of his surroundings. He also believes that there are some youth who, because of their innate creativity, do not respond to traditional teaching methods, and so end up being labelled "problem students"; doomed to fall through the cracks and be misunderstood, thereby leading to feelings of rejection, and snowballing into delinquent behaviour.

 

His fervent desire when he immigrated to Canada from Jamaica was to one day be able to make an impact on future generations through an arts-based community program; he also wanted to be able to encourage students whose dreams revolve around art to take bold steps towards fulfilling those dreams, shattering the mould of “The Starving Artist”. Since August 2013, Israel has used painting to break down communication barriers with at-risk teenagers at his own home, restoring their channels of positive self-expression, both verbally, and on the canvas. The results have been astounding.

 

In December 2013 The Dream Big Foundation was launched in Kingston, Jamaica, through an exhibition of 30 pieces of Israel's original artwork, under the theme "Bare Beauty". A pilot community in Kingston, Jamaica has been identified for kick-off of visual arts and dance programs in May 2014. 35% of the proceeds from all sales of Israel's pieces purchase materials and supplies for the Youth programs.

 

Please learn more about the Dream Big Foundation by visiting and "liking" our Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/dreambigfoundationja

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