How Engaging in the Arts Empowers Youth

On Friday, March 22nd, hoards of parents, guardians, teachers, and community members poured into the Crispus Attucks Elementary School (PS 21) auditorium to watch the talented students from the BCS after-school program put on a spectacular show. The Empowerment Showcase featured songs, dances, poetry readings, and art showcases from Kindergarten through fifth grade. This wasn’t your standard talent show—the students performed complex choreographed routines, belted their hearts out, and showed up in perfectly coordinated outfits.

BCS after-school programs provide three and a half additional hours of academic and creative enrichment for children across the borough. The impact of a well-rounded arts education extends far beyond the classroom. “When children are engaging in the arts, it helps to build their self-esteem and self-confidence,” Kayla Boyd, the program’s director, said. Between the electrifying energy on stage and the adoring audience’s passionate cheers, the event’s joy was practically contagious.

The show featured nearly fifteen different acts! Highlights included …

…a colorful performance from the kindergarteners.

…a display of artwork inspired by Women’s History Month.

…an homage to the late, notorious Brooklynite, Biggie Smalls.

…a Michael Jackson number complete with signature accessories..

…and even a full-on country hoedown!

More than just a concert, the showcase is “an outlet for our students to be creative,” Ms. Boyd said. “It gives them an opportunity to express themselves in a judgment-free zone.”

Maribel Mercado, a long-time teacher at the program, noted that the showcase allowed kids to ​​teach others what they’ve learned. “The roles are flipped,” she said. “On this day, the students get to be the teachers.”

We love seeing the positive impact of arts programming in our after-school programs. Congratulations to the students of BCS at PS 21 for an amazing performance; we can’t wait to see what you all create next!