As we look forward to a future where we are reuniting with family and friends, experiencing concerts and museums and theatres, it is essential that we do not overlook the wreckage which the pandemic caused. Lives lost, people living with long-term disabilities, businesses closed permanently, children falling behind academically- just a few of the absolutely devastating impacts of what we have been enduring since early 2020.

Beyond morbidity and mortality, this pandemic has left too many children without caregivers, which can greatly increase the chance that they will face adverse consequences, like poverty, abuse, and institutionalization. Many children have witnessed the trauma of parents losing their livelihoods, or have experienced losing their homes, their friends, their social networks. As adults, we often struggle with processing our own feelings, let alone taking the steps to address our own pandemic-related mental health challenges. Our children have even greater difficulties, and we are now seeing it in our schools and our homes on a daily basis. Just recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) released a statement declaring a National State of Emergency in Children’s Mental Health.

After losing both of the Vibe art studios early in the pandemic, we re-committed to our mission: “Empowering Portland's youth through art and music, inspiring the next generation of creative leaders, we believe in equitable arts access for all.” As challenging as that has always been over the last dozen years, we recognized immediately that we could not just go back to how we were teaching pre-pandemic. In our first in-person, social distanced camp held in March 2021, we saw children who had lost some of their social skills, were unable to self-regulate, yet they were hungry to create. Our teachers immediately responded by focusing on the process of creating, rather than the end product. We spent more time having conversations with students, listening to them share that which was important to them. We read more stories, listened to more music, played together more and we recognized that we needed to do MORE. A lot more.

Vibe was fortunate to receive funding through the Oregon Community Foundation which allowed us to run 9 weeks of summer art programming, offered at no cost to many families who experienced trauma during the pandemic. For nine weeks we were able to guide students in finding their voices through art. We saw children who were completely silent on the first day gain new forever friends by the end of camp. We heard children proudly state their dreams for themselves and the world in an original musical, create sculptures with recycled materials that reflected their dream homes, and learn about how their actions can help save our oceans, all through the process of creating art. It was an incredible and inspiring experience for us.

The process of creating art: inspiration, percolation, preparation, creation, and reflection. The process of creating art fosters self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivates emotional resilience, promotes insight, enhances social skills, reduces conflict and distress, and advances social and ecological change. We know that creating art engages the mind, body, and spirit in ways that are distinct from using words alone. At Vibe, we are grateful for our experiences over the summer so that we could share our them with our colleagues, and continue our work through classes, workshops, and camps. We chose to offer our classes at sites closer to those students in need, removing the barriers of transportation, and we are holding space for BIPOC families and those attending Title 1 schools. We are looking forward to our partnership with Related Northwest and Catholic Charities of Oregon, where Vibe will be offering after-school programs for the youth living in the Cathedral Village Apartments slated to open summer of 2022.

Our children need us more than ever. At Vibe, we have learned so much over the year by creating art with our students, and we are eager to meet the urgent needs our youth have post-pandemic. This year for Giving Tuesday and the giving season, please consider supporting a child in their journey of healing through art. As an Oregon Cultural Trust partner, donors who contribute to Oregon cultural nonprofits, including ours, are eligible to make a matching donation to the Oregon Cultural Trust and receive a 100% tax credit for their Trust donation (up to $500 for an individual, $1,000 for a couple filing jointly and $2,500 for a Class-C Corporation).

$45 covers the cost of one child attending a Title 1 PPS school to attend a no-school art workshop session.
$50 covers the cost of supplies for one student to learn the basics of clay and intro to ceramics.
$125 covers the cost of an extra instructor needed for a workshop to ensure each child receives individual time and attention.
$150 covers one child attending 4 half-days of Winter Wonderland Camp.
$175 covers one child attending a full term of studio classes.

Supporting Vibe programming with a tax-deductible donation will ensure that children have the opportunity to not only create art but to have a safe place where they are able to find their voice and process some of their thoughts and feelings of what they have experienced over the last almost two years. Your contribution will make a difference in a child’s life. You can donate here.

For Giving Tuesday