06/21/2021
Fresno Youth Outreach Through Art
(Fresno YOTA)
YOTA is a partnership between the Fresno Police Department and Fresno Parks and Recreation. It allows youth to voice their concerns and express their feelings about our community, their personal experiences, and culture, through art. Groups will be led by mentors and use various artistic mediums include drawing, sketching, and painting. Groups will consist of 5 or 6 children/youth of similar age. Their artwork must be relevant to the selected topic. Once the project is complete, the children and their mentors will discuss and interpret the meaningfulness of their artwork and identify any messages or information they want conveyed to community leaders. The artwork and messages will be shared with Fresno City Hall, the police department, and other important stakeholders in our community.
Additionally, YOTA artwork may be entered in the program’s art contest. The contest will consider the creativity and effectiveness of the message conveyed by the artwork on each topic. The winner will be decided by a board of individuals selected from Fresno City Council, police department and other community stakeholders. Prizes awarded will primarily consist of items donated by our local businesses, including toys, bikes, gift cards, as well as field trips to Fresno City Hall, the police department, local art museums, etc. In addition, the winning artwork may be displayed inside Fresno City Hall, local art museums or police headquarters.
The program sessions are planned to take place on a quarterly basis to allow the greatest number of children/youth the opportunity to take part. In addition to the Fresno Police Department and Parks Department, other organizations including Stone Soup, Wesley’s United Methodist Church, Fresno State ASI, and Council District 4 personnel are partnering to make YOTA a success. YOTA art sessions will take place every other Tuesday at Wesley United Methodist Church. Connections are being made with local businesses to sponsor art supplies, t-shirts, etc.
YOTA is a fantastic opportunity to get youth away from the “screen” culture and ignite their interest in the “hands-on” world of artwork. YOTA artwork is a constructive alternative to social media for appropriately expressing thoughts, concerns, and feelings about what is going on in our community. By involving police officers as facilitators and mentors, YOTA is a non-traditional method of strengthening police-community relationships.
3 Ways to Register:
1. Online at www.parconline.fresno.gov
2. Over the Phone at (559)-621-PLAY (7529) – Office Hours: Monday thru Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
3. Onsite during program hours – 1343 E. Barstow Ave., Westley’s Church Parking Lot – 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Youth Outreach Through Art (YOTA) is every THURSDAY from 3-7pm, but Parks and Recreation is Every Weekday…
Any additional inquiries, please call Det. Danny Kim at (559) 301-4739
