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DEYA was co-founded by award-winning arts educator, governor-appointed Michigan Arts & Culture Council (MACC) member and Chair of the MACC’s Arts Education Committee, Nafeesah Symonette (Executive Director), and founder of the nationally-acclaimed Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and former Lead Arts Consultant for Detroit Public School Community District (DPSCD), Rick Sperling (Director of Strategic Initiatives).

 

As a solutions-oriented Collective Impact initiative, rather than a new nonprofit organization, DEYA can serve the needs of Detroit’s youth arts sector without duplicating efforts or competing with community organizations for funding. DEYA’s unique structure enables it to remain a nimble partner to the public, private, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors, identifying and capitalizing on emerging opportunities to enhance Detroit’s youth arts sector. In this role, DEYA has the unique capacity to serve as a conduit connecting the youth arts sector with national and governmental opportunities.

DEYA fills gaps and builds bridges where individual institutions cannot, amplifying the impact of youth arts and serving the entire sector. By tackling city-wide challenges in partnership with key stakeholders, DEYA serves as a navigator and connector, harnessing the individual strengths of multiple organizations to achieve the shared goal of a vibrant youth arts sector. 

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Since its inception during the Pandemic, DEYA has:

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  • Leveraged more than $600,000 of State, Federal, Foundation, Corporate, and Individual Giving funds that have gone directly to 31 youth arts providers and more than 200 youth, as well as arts educators and teaching artists.

 

  • Received a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant for Collective Impact in Arts Education with Connect Detroit to create a city-wide arts education action plan in alignment with the Kennedy Center’s “Any Given Child” initiative.

 

  • Created the NEA-funded Detroit Partnership for Arts Education (DPAE) with Honorary Chairs Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and DPSCD Superintendent Nikoli Vitti, a roundtable of cross-sector leaders from Education, Arts & Culture, Healthcare, Corporations, Workforce Development to develop, implement and advocate for citywide equitable access to arts education. 

 

  • Co-created the Detroit Youth Arts Provider Network, made up of 45 organizations and programs that provide high-quality arts opportunities to Detroit youth. Plans include co-creating networks for Arts Educators, Teaching Artists, and Youth Artists.

 

  • Co-created a Summer Youth Arts Employment Partnership with Matrix Human Services and Heritage Works to provide arts jobs and training to over 150 Detroit youth 14-24 at the sites of 7 youth arts providers, funded through State of Michigan MiLEAP Out-of-School funds and Federally-funded summer jobs funds from Grow Detroit’s Young Talent (GDYT)

 

  • Conducted a 12-month community needs assessment, planning and design process, based on over 100 community meetings, captured in the report Powering Youth Arts through Collective Action, supported by the Kresge Foundation, Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, and the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. 

 

  • Partnered with Data Driven Detroit to release the first Detroit Youth Arts Mapping Project, documenting the gaps and opportunities in Detroit youth arts programming both in and outside of school.

 

  • Initiated collaborations with major institutions such as the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, which piloted the Youth Arts by Prescription (YaRx) collaborative platform focused on the healing impact of arts for young people.

 

  • Regranted over $40,000 of corporate funding from Gardner White through Launch Award Microgrants, providing quarterly funding of up to $250 to support more than 100 emerging young artists 11-19 years old from schools throughout Detroit.

 

  • Partnered with Allied Media Projects and Digital Detroit Media, with funding from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, to create a website and technology platform to create connectivity between entities in the Detroit youth arts ecosystem while providing a platform for the community to have equitable exposure and access to Detroit youth arts opportunities.

 

  • Launched the first-ever Youth Stage and Art Fair at the annual Concert of Colors, funded by the Skillman Foundation, showcasing the talents of young people with 12 youth arts organizations, while providing funding directly to the organizations and youth.

 

  • Developed Rigorous Arts Mentorship Program – Under Pandemic (RAMP-UP) in partnership with 13 arts organizations, the DPSCD and the Children’s Foundation to provide 51 youth arts mentors for more than 150 youth during the all remote-learning 2020-21 school year.

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