Our Mission

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Background Information

transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project believes that art is not only a privilege, but a necessity of life. Being a creative person fosters self-awareness, connection to humanity, the ability to explore possibilities, think critically, and transcend self-imposed limits. transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project allows us to hear from our generation of youth and to give them a chance to positively impact the world around them.

transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization.

Transcend: verb [from the Latin word transcendere, to climb across] 1 a: to rise above or go beyond the limits of b: to triumph over the negative or restrictive aspects of: OVERCOME.

Transcendent: adj1: the quality or state of exceeding the usual limits: SURPASSING.

Dance: n1: a series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements usu. performed to music vb1: to engage in or perform dance

transcenDANCE: n [from the combination of transcend, transcendent, and dance] 1: the method by which youth, empowered by the arts, will overcome the negative and restrictive aspects that threaten their community via performances marked by surpassing qualities of diligence, passion, creativity, thoughtful reflection, and care 2: arts for the purpose of social change 3: a San Diego-based non-profit that provides professional training in dance, choreography, creative writing, and theatre to multi-cultural, inner-city youth in San Diego, with the firm belief that the arts can be an effective vehicle for mobilizing and empowering people to work for social change in their communities.

Our Mission

transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project empowers culturally diverse, City Heights and National City neighborhood youth to mobilize social change through Performance Arts based community-building, leadership, and service.

Our Core Values

• Bringing creativity and innovation to all of our work
• Culturally diverse youth working side by side in meaningful ways
• Compassionate communication
• Neighborhood, local focus
• Inspiring critical thinking and problem-solving action with complex social issues through the arts
• Youth-driven in every aspect
• Collaboration with individuals/organizations that share our values and can engage us in a mutual learning experience

Process

Our YOUTH CITIZEN ARTISTS go through intensive technical dance theatre training and personal exploration – by way of leadership development, community-building activities, and service projects – with the ultimate goal of creating dynamic performances that synthesize their artistic strengths while addressing complex social issues that impact their community.  transcenDANCE youth performers share these inspiring performances with a greater audience to provoke community engagement with the material.

Our Local San Diego Community We Serve: City Heights

Our youth members of our performance group, and community members who participate in our ongoing classes and workshops, are drawn from City Heights.  This area represents a culturally rich and disadvantaged socioeconomic community of San Diego.  According to the 2010 Census, 78,843 people live in City Heights. The median household income in City Heights is $23,681 as compared to $45,041 in the City of San Diego. 43% percent of family households with children under 18 are headed by a single parent, 76% of whom are women. Teen pregnancy rates are above the state average in every part of City Heights. 37.8% of the individuals in City Heights live below the poverty level. 70.1% of the population speaks a language other than English at home. 37.3% of the population is under the age of 18. 29% of the population has less than a ninth grade education. 53% of the population is Hispanic, 13% African American, and 17% Asian.

transcenDANCE expands our mission National City

In the Fall of 2012, transcenDANCE will be expanding their mission to serve the youth of National City!  Stay tuned for more information regarding our dynamic youth programming!