Art, music, sports and media are ways to find and explore what has not existed before. However, after a decrease in funding over the years, not all schools and communities are able to enjoy these activities.  This  is where Thrive Collective comes in. The non-profit organization helps create hope and opportunity for student development through arts, sports and mentoring, in and around New York City public schools. 

As founder Jeremy Del Rio states, “When school budgets are cut and the first things slashed are music and arts programs, we rob students of the experiences that awaken the creative imagination God hard-wired into their souls.”

A Beautiful Collaborative 

Thrive Collective‘s success in blending youth leadership development, mentoring, and arts and culture has expanded their reach to schools and neighborhoods throughout the city, including our own Queens Preparatory Academy. This year, they worked with QPA students every Thursday after school, but this is actually their third time being assigned to the Springfield Gardens campus. One of the mural projects currently on display in our hallway is a beautiful reminder of what they do for New York City public school students. This year, they also worked with QPA to create the new, even larger image on the front of the building that represents the entire Springfield Gardens campus and  community. 

Students and teachers participated in the creation of this mural, and acknowledge the importance of this collaborative effort. QPA sophomore Patrick Lopez says he was able to learn much more by painting with others. “Some people draw for themselves,” he said. “But when you draw for others you get more happiness.”

Senior Yvens Cantave agrees and shared that the program “helped bring students together.” He believes it helped them have a voice when expressing themselves through  the visuals they were able to create.

Learning and Growing Together

QPA  art teacher Mr. Akaloo admits he was honored to  be part of the project. “It was a wonderful opportunity to learn from a different perspective,” he stated. “Not simply the technique, materials and tools used by these artists, but their process from beginning to end.” He also thinks such projects can invigorate student participation and motivate the community, especially since so many students and passerby were in awe of the activity and the beauty of the mural. “It was wonderful to see how the Thrive organization was able to extract the best sections of student work to  recreate this powerful image at the front of our school building,” he said.

Kadeem Phillip, an instructor at Thrive Collective explained that, “The main thing that comes to mind is that every mural is conceptualized by the students. We work with the students in every class to brainstorm ideas. Once we have enough, we create it, and bring it to life.” He made it clear that the students  are the driving force of the program. “We are working to make their ideas a reality. Sometimes that’s all someone needs to see to believe that they can create anything.”

Origins of the Program

The venture originated in 1996 from a youth center in  New York City Public Housing to meet the needs of mostly Hispanic youth. For some fifteen years, most of the students came from K-8 public schools. However, over time, the program has grown to work with over 3,000 students in forty schools. To date, they’ve produced a dozen student films and forty-three school and community murals totaling over 13,000 sq. ft. of public art. Since 2011, more than 13,000 students and 2,500 volunteers have completed over a hundred community mural projects totaling 60,000 sq. ft. of public art.

 The program features a project based, accredited curriculum that emphasizes art skills and a wide range of experiences. They strive to put young people on the path to finding their passion and using their voices in any way possible. They also have an internship program for students who may be moving on to college. They connect with many young artists, youth workers, and volunteers from local schools who contribute to the program. 

Inspired by the Arts

According to Thrive Collective instructor Chris Gonzalez, “Thrive helps students to leave a mark on their school.” A great supporter for education in the arts, he admits that, “In a time when art programs are getting cut more and more, it’s important for students to see how art can still carry a message and inspire others.”  He also claimed it’s important to work as a group to overcome many of the problems you face in life and one of the things that Thrive wants to instill in students is a sense of pride in their work. As he sees it, students have been given  the opportunity to create a mural that can be enjoyed by everyone who attends QPA, and students who participated should be proud of what they accomplished together.

“I personally believe that the arts are essential to academics,” added Kadeem Phillip. “Students should be given a space to learn the tools to express themselves in a medium.” He’s certain that whether it’s music, or art, students on every level need that outlet. “That’s what Thrive offers to different schools around the New York City area,” he said. “I know there are a lot of talented students here. There’s also a lot of creative students with some very unique ideas. I believe that seeing all of that put together and brought to reality through the mural will do a lot for many students.”