A second companion project of Girls In Action, the YWCA Santa Monica / Westside's "Youth In Motion" dance program was launched in response to a recent joint report by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities and the Arts Education Partnership, which concluding that sustained engagement in the arts: IMG_1178

• Nurtures the development of intellectual, social and personal competencies
• Increases academic achievement
• Helps decrease youth involvement in delinquent behavior
• Improves youths' attitudes about themselves, their peers, adults, and their future
• Encourages students to stay and succeed in school.

Specifically, the report found that arts learning improves decision-making, problem solving, and critical thinking; fosters transferable thinking skills, develops positive peer relations, engages multiple skills and abilities and develops increased capability in imagination and judgment.

With a focus on the Healthy Lifestyles component of GIA, Youth in Motion offers free after school dance classes and performance opportunities, which serve as tools to instill in young women the leadership, cooperation, self-importance, joy, creativity, and discipline needed to confront the adversity in their daily lives and throughout their future development. The YWCA dance studio is a safe and enduring space for girls to express themselves and discover their potential. Dance classes include Hip Hop, Latin, and Creative Expression.  Other art forms include spoken word, movement exercises, poetry, photo, video, and performance.

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With classes offered every Thursday from 3:30 to 5:30 pm, Youth In Motion reduces the risk of involvement in high-risk activities and instills in each girl a sense of discipline, creativity, teamwork, self-confidence, and dignity.  Youth In Motion is designed with maximum input from participants - creating rules and curriculum, choreographing performances, designing costumes.  In this way, girls feel ownership over the program.  Creating dance together maximizes teamwork and cooperation skills and leaves young people with a respect for their creative process, a sense of unity, and the satisfaction of developing their own work.

Guest artists/teachers visit throughout the year and contribute a different perspective.  Past performances include John Adams Middle School Awards Assembly, Virginia Ave Park Unity Festival, Loyola Marymount University Children's Fair, Boys & Girls Club Dance-a-Thon, and the Girl Central Leadership Conference.

To sign up for Youth In Motion, click here or contact Veronica Castro at (310) 452-3881, x123 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .