ARTS THE D.
CURRENT NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES
DEYA is thrilled to share the news that two of our partners have launched an event and endowed fund to support Detroit youth arts!
Congratulations to The Children’s Foundation of Michigan (DEYA partner on RAMP-UP, the DEYA Youth Stage at the Concert of Colors, Youth Arts by Prescription and Launch Awards youth micro-grants) and The Detroit Creativity Project (member of DEYA’s Detroit Youth Arts Provider Network) announced the launch of THE CONEY and the Endowed Fund for Youth Arts.
The Coney will take place at the Detroit Opera House. September 26. One night only.
Tickets are available now at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/080064D1B1F88061
This is tremendous news for Detroit’s young people and for the future of youth arts across our city.
For years, arts educators, teaching artists, community organizations, cultural institutions, advocates, philanthropists, and young people themselves have worked to elevate the importance of youth arts as a vital part of Detroit’s future. It is exciting to see long-term investment being made in support of that vision.
DEYA looks forward to supporting and partnering with efforts that expand access to high-quality youth arts opportunities for Detroit youth, particularly those who have historically faced barriers to participation.
This is a meaningful step forward for the field, and we are excited to see what becomes possible when youth arts are recognized as an investment in young people, neighborhoods, and the future of our city.
Congratulations to everyone who helped bring this vision to life.
For more information on The Coney’s support of Youth Arts, see this page on their website
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Detroit Harmony’s commitment to collecting and sharing information about summer arts opportunities is rooted in a simple but important goal: ensuring that families and young people are aware of the wide range of creative programs available throughout the Detroit area. By bringing this information together in one place, Detroit Harmony hopes to make it easier for parents, caregivers, and youth to discover opportunities that match their interests, talents, and aspirations.
This effort is also intended to strengthen and support the broader youth arts ecosystem by helping programs reach more students and increasing participation in arts learning experiences across the city. Detroit Harmony believes that access to the arts can foster creativity, confidence, connection, and personal growth, and hopes this resource will encourage families and community members to explore, share, and engage with the many enriching opportunities available to Detroit youth.
DEYA partnered with GDYT and Heritage Works to host a Summer Arts Job Fair for Detroit Youth on April 18th, 2026, at Artist Village Detroit from 10 am-2:30. . More than 200 young people from across the city attended the Job Fair, where they were able to meet with representatives of 14 organizations providing arts-related summer jobs. These sites included Heritage Works, TeMaTe Dance Institute, Shakespeare in Detroit, Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, and the ten sites for the Heritage Works-DEYA Summer Arts Employment Training (SAET) program: ArtLab J, Detroit City Dance, Detroit-Windsor Dance Academy, Jit Masters, LSODance, Live Coal, Mint Artist Guild, Motor City Street Dance Academy, Que Blackout Youth Theater, and WISE Partnership.
At the Job Fair, young people ages 14-17 and young adults ages 18-24 got to meet organizations providing job information, and some were able to participate in on-site interviews!
The summer jobs being offered involved employment training in the arts/creative industries, and job readiness in areas including:
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Dance (All Styles including Detroit Jit and Street Dance)
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Visual Art (Painting, Drawing, etc.)
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Technical Theater and Music Production
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Mentoring Young Children in Art and Dance
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“Youth Voice” Spoken Word and Phot
Because of the job fair, over 600 Detroit young people signed up to be considered for summer jobs. While GDYT was able to provide only 200 spots for SAET this year, the interest generated by the Job Fair is leading to an initiative to raise additional funds to create more jobs next summer. If you are interested in donating to help more Detroit youth get summer jobs in the arts, please reach out to DEYA's Executive Director, Nafeesah Symonette, at nafeesah@deyayoutharts.com.
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