AIM 4 the HEART began in 1989 with a group of seven artists under the direction of Leila Steinberg as simply a collective of individuals determined to utilize their art to create positive social change. Tupac Shakur was one of those founding members, a quintessential example of the at-risk youth Leila has always sought to mentor, and he remains an inspirational force in AIM. The core values and th
e undamental commitments shared among the members were
art, social justice, and human development. In 1996 AIM was incorporated as Assemblies In Motion, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in California. In 2009, AIM officially changed
its name to Alternative Intervention Models to reflect twenty years of creating and implementing a sustainable model of community-based programs designed to positively intervene in the lives of at-risk youth. The core processes and programs of AIM's heART education method has been distilled into a duplicable curriculum that has been and will
continue to be distributed to national and international community partners, juvenile justice facility coordinators, high school educators, as well as others. The curriculum is specifically targeted to assist those who value access to 25 years of experience using the arts to affect lives collected and presented in a way that can be tailored to each unique community of artists and at-risk youth. We never lose sight of the fact that we are all artists, including the diverse youth we serve;
every youth, mother, father, teacher, doctor, lawyer, judge, social worker needs to access the pure power of the arts to reach the hearts of youth, develop their minds, and influence them to make healthy life decisions. The core intervention programs that we currently operate are:
1) Artist Intervention - in our Artist intervention programs we hold assemblies at elementary schools, high school, and colleges designed for the specific audiences at these various locations based on the issues that they need to address in their communities. We also operate Mic Sessions workshops at juvenile facilities, community centers, prisons, group homes, and other locations. Artist educators, a diverse selection of music artists perform at assemblies and at Mic Sessions workshops, and focus on unifying members of these various communities using music to breakdown barriers and open lines of communication and freedom of self-expression.
2) Dance Intervention - Karina Smirnoff heads up our Dance Intervention program, working with youth who find dance and movement as their chosen form of artistic self-expression. This program teaches consistency, dedication, attention to detail, and healthy physical and emotional lifestyle.
3) Athletic Intervention - AIM's Athletic Intervention programs currently include basketball, yoga, and fitness training. Ahmad Clayton directs our Athletic Intervention program, bringing a unique form of basketball training to at-risk youth that focuses on providing a high quality alternative option to high cost athletic after school programs. AIM's Athletic Intervention programs help youth grow technically, emotionally, and physically while instilling values such as teamwork, strength, healthy-diet, non-violence, positive work ethic, and good sportsmanship.
4) Acting Intervention - AIM's Acting Intervention program features guest lectures and workshops from highly experienced film industry professionals that train actors/actresses as artists in every facet of the film entertainment business. Focused mostly on aspiring teenage and young adult actors/actresses, the Acting Intervention program provides mentors, skill training, and career guidance. One of the major goals is to engage these youth and help them learn to tell their narrative and their communities narrative through their work.
5) Media Intervention - AIM's Media Intervention program provides education in traditional media and new media technology, teaching youth about the resources that are accessible to them within and outside of their communities. We show youth how to effectively communicate on a local and global level using new media and a host of collaborative methods made available via the internet and related technologies. Our Future
In the future, AIM plans to continue to expand its reach beyond its core locality in Los Angeles by initiating branches in the major metropolitan areas of the United States. Additionally, AIM will be collaborating with foreign partners to water the seeds of heART education that have been planted in various locations around the globe, sharing Leila's curriculum and providing guidance and support. AIM also has an executive position dedicated to local and national strategic partnerships. It is through these partnerships that communities around the U.S. will reap the benefit of multiple arts & social justice organizations working in concert to provide top quality arts education alternatives to those youth who otherwise would have no ac
