About Us
Traditional forms of connecting to youth, to home, to school, to community and to faith based organizations are no longer the primary influences on young people's belief structure, Instead, the greatest source of influence has become their peers, the media, and the entertainment industry. IDEA's purpose as a grassroots arts advocacy organization is to empower youth to exert positive influence on their environment. To enhance their self worth by giving them the opportunity for creative self expression. We offer programming such as our City Kids Multimedia Production Company that gives them a meaningful voice to speak, to choose, to question
Adolescence is a different and difficult world. Teens and preteens are going through so many changes that they need a particular kind of direction to stay on the right path. Teens are especially working with the tension of identity. They are learning how to be uniquely themselves and still be part of the crowd. They are questioning the values, goals and beliefs they grew up with, to sort out what they will carry into adulthood and what to leave behind. They are separating from family and finding their own centers. If they grow up in an environment of discord, disagreement and dissension their lack of coping skills gives raise to dysfunction at all levels, the main level being one of communication. This level results in conflict in so many areas of their lives. Without a paradigm shift they are destined to continue down the path of misdirected responses such as anger, fear, resentment, hate and destruction.
Teens must have a safe space where they can talk about the pressures to conform with the values of popular culture. This influence of popular culture can be a form of destruction against the natural self. Young people need adult confidantes and mentors-often outside the family - with whom they can explore these tensions in a trusting environment.
IDEA is a trusting environment, a nurturing home away from home, it is a laboratory of expression, it is the forum to speak the spoken word, to reach the divine through music, to feel the joy through dance and transform it into their hopes and dreams. The word, and the work is captured on film and produced into a medium of relating and relaying to others who they really are.
Since its inception, IDEA has grown into a multi-faceted creative learning organization that plays a crucial role in the educational development of adolescents in Camden and throughout Southern New Jersey. This organization is addressing the needs of young people in this geographic area through educational, year-round activities including after school and summer programs that provide:
- support and guidance from caring adults in safe, structured settings
- a sense of self-worth based on achievement and character
- a sense of belonging, self-awareness and responsibility
- access to learning opportunities outside the classroom
IDEA has developed a reputation for designing and implementing unique arts programs that are on the cutting edge for adolescents ages 12-21. Some of its hallmark programs include Stand Up for the Arts, City Kids Multimedia Production Company, The Music by the Sea Jazz Camp, Youth Institute for Jazz and Music Studies and the Youth Arts Entrepreneurial Development Project. The organization has dedicated itself to bringing the arts into the lives of Camden and South Jersey youth and has successfully done this over the last eight years. IDEA has been instrumental in creating brighter futures for many of Camden's most impoverished youth by inspiring and empowering them through arts education. By combining these elements, IDEA has provided adolescents with creative outlets for self-expression which promotes a greater self-awareness resulting in highly motivated, focused, responsible and creative youth.
The Institute for the Development of Education in the Arts (IDEA) is a 501 c3 tax-exempt organization, founded in 1995 by citizens from Camden, as well as various parts of the Delaware valley.
IDEA's mission is: "To provide a safe and supportive artistic environment that enhances and respects the diversity of culture and inspires excellence by offering opportunities for adolescents to (claim their voice) as they explore and participate in the performing and multimedia arts in the Delaware Valley."