Join us in creating change in our creative economy
As Boston’s largest youth employer, we continue to push our own impact—by the end of this year we will employ a record 400+ teen artists and designers at AFH. Furthermore, through serving as an Arts & Culture Coalition Lead with the City of Boston’s Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity, we are working with 10 nonprofits to provide grant, administrative and payroll support, so they can employ 200+ additional youth.
Other areas of notable impact in 2024 include:
- Employed 90% teens of color and 88% from low-income households
- Through our Co-Lab Program, by partnering with schools we offered 525+ students hands-on learning to complete a project that benefits their community
- Piloted our first Design and Visual Communications Pathway through a unique partnership with Revere’s City Lab school and Massachusetts College of Art, providing early college credit, hands-on experience and mentorship support
- Completed our second year of the Artists Fellowship for local, emerging adult artists, extending our stipend from six to nine months, including stipends, professional development workshops and multiple public exhibitions to uplift their work
- Created more public art where our teens live, including the Illuminus activation in Dorchester and a partnership with Speak For The Trees in Fields Corner’s Ronan Park
There has never been a more critical time to build opportunities in the creative sector. As the need for skilled employees in STEM and automation rises, so does the economic imperative for creative problem solvers, artistic expression and innovation. The Creative Economy, fueled by over 135,000 creative jobs filling critical roles across all industries, represents $27+ billion in Massachusetts. To build the bridges from the communities we serve to the workforce of the future, it will take more than AFH alone. We will be more effective by engaging in and around Greater Boston, across organizations, and through public policy.
Over this past year, we have begun working with State and City leaders to create more support, advocacy and funding for creative enterprises. We are collaborating with other arts and culture organizations to develop a public agenda, inviting policymakers to join us in creating sustainable, actionable pathways for the next generation of the creative workforce.
This work is only beginning, the potential is enormous, and we need your support to catalyze our momentum.
To learn more about ways to maximize the impact of your gift or to get more involved with Artists For Humanity, please contact Courtney Ford at cford@afhboston.org
Thank you for your support!