Jon Hinojosa

I am an Artist masquerading as an Arts Administrator - there I said it.  Actually, I am a proud artist working collectively with a committed team to change lives through creative youth development. Our program, SAY Sí, recently got some positive props for being an exemplary national arts-education model that should be replicated in Something to Say, a report by the Wallace Foundation of out-of-school arts programs for tweens and teens. (By the way, please don’t use the word “tweens” in front of young people.)

Part of the reason for our success and the attention is not just the arts part, we certainly do that well – I think it is because of our assessment process and track record of accomplishments. Our youth-focused multidisciplinary arts programs: visual arts, film, performance, and (soon) game design were created not because of our interest in jumping on a funding trend (more on funding below), they were created because our youth and community told us they were needed and missing from their lives, from their city, and from their schools.

Our commitment to our students overall success can be measured in a pretty strong way, for the last 11 years we have had a 100% high school graduation rate and college placement from our seniors. Remarkable overall, but when you add in the words urban, diverse, economically disadvantaged, and first generation college student that is pretty meaningful. This last year our senior’s were offered a grand total of 1.3 millions dollars in merit and aid awards. Our tuition-free programs and projects are truly exemplary. I understand why we get the attention, but we also have to fund our programs - and as much as Creative Youth Development is on the national agenda, we have moved to cross-sector ways to build resources and support.

Funding, support and resources – do I have your attention? Add in collective impact, cross-sector collaboration, and passion-driven learning you can amplify your commitment to mission and vision. We sometimes get so focused on our own organizations, sustaining our programs and all of the things we do for our community that we forget that if our goal is to truly strengthen our commitment to youth – our country’s future creative leaders – if it is about building life-long learners, and changing lives for the better, then we need to get more creative about our funding structures.

Here at SAY Sí we have moved to a more adaptive, creative, and definitely more authentic way of reminding folks about our commitment to youth and building support for our organization. Some examples: Our local community foundation has a variety of opportunities for support and while we submit and receive support from their Arts and Cultural initiative, we have been successful in advancing our work from their High School Completion and Strengthening Nonprofit areas. SAY Sí also belongs to a citywide collective impact initiate called Excel Beyond the Bell, a collaborative network of out-of-school time providers who want to ensure that all children in San Antonio have access to affordable, quality educational and youth enrichment programs. Initially, as one of the only arts organization, I felt out of place and sort of outnumbered, but as we worked and talked about our common goals and interests, it dawned on me that our efforts could change both the future of our city and the current funding structures in place. These are just two examples of how we have re-thought our efforts, reached across sectors and found convergences with others we did not know we had.

Our work is hard, but the rewards are fulfilling and long lasting. So remember our strengths as artists and artist educators: we create; we inform, we redefine, and we find connections in things that others often times do not. This approach may not work for everyone, but it is the risks we take as artists that are often times the most rewarding.