Driving Long-Term Outcomes

Our Programs

PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS

The Big Thought team and our partners are able to achieve success in our community through our social and emotional focus, experiential learning, community-centered partnerships, equity lens and future focus.

Big Thought’s unique approach comes alive in the following ways:

We position youth as equal partners in the enhancement and expansion of Big Thought direct to youth programs so that programs are more effective and established with a racial equity lens.

We advocate on issues and policy changes related to racial and economic equity.

We raise awareness of creativity as workplace skill and advocate to embed in human capital development institutions.

We scale best practices to key institutions and systems through consulting, technical assistance, professional development and curriculum design.

We design and implement school models with creativity and youth agency at the core to help more youth have a growth mindset and be empowered to affect positive change in their lives and communities.

EMPOWERED TO THRIVE

We have programs across age and grade levels. Here is a reference chart of our programs for each:

Direct to youth programs

We develop and deliver high quality curriculum and programs to serve alongside communities that have historically been marginalized. Big Thought designs the programs, trains the educators and works closely with our partners to engage students to help unlock their potential.

(A)LIVE

(A)LIVE is a campus and hub-based after-school poetry club that focuses on enhancing the interpersonal skills of youth while sparking their unique creativity, strengthening their poetic technique and equipping young leaders with the verbal vision to Create Great.

Learn more about (A)LIVE

Artivism

Artivism is the intersection of arts and activism. The program exists to empower high school students to curate and create visual and performance art consisting of multi-media art forms such as acrylic, charcoal, photography, videography, and spoken words to advance social justice issues and imagine their best lives and world. The program gives teens the opportunity to address these issues head-on under the leadership of a group of professional artists. Students advocate for change through the collaboration and exchange of points-of-view, lessons and critiques with other participants as they are championed to become the Creators of tomorrow.

Learn more about Artivism

Create Champions Initiative

Create Champions is an initiative that matches caring, knowledgeable guides with high school students to help them identify the best post-secondary school opportunities that enable them to be successful in the CreatEconomy.

Learn more about Create Champions Initiative

Creative Solutions

Creative Solutions exists as an arts-as-workforce intervention program for adjudicated youth ages 10 to 17. The program works in partnership with the juvenile justice systems in Dallas and Tarrant countieswith the goal to develop job preparedness and soft skills for participating youth through various visual, performing and digital arts elements. Creative Solutions empowers and equips adjudicated youth to Create Great and imagine and create their best lives and world through various artistic tools surrounding improving job skills, promoting positive self-image and social-emotional development.

Learn more about Creative Solutions

Generation Liberation

Generation Liberation supports youth and families in better navigating and succeeding in today’s CreatEconomy, providing tools and support to achieve financial empowerment.

Learn more about Generation Liberation

The Fellowship Initiative

The Fellowship Initiative (TFI) provides mentorship for young men of color and their families. The program outlines a pathway for each participant to college application and acceptance. TFI guides participants through their transition to young adulthood and helps youth explore their identities through leadership opportunities, academic preparation, community engagement, and mental health education. Most importantly, TFI embraces the realities that affect the black and brown community and works to facilitate a brighter future for marginalized youth who have historically been held back at the starting line.

Learn more about The Fellowship Initiative

Thriving Minds

Thriving Minds After School (TMAS) provides safe, creative, and engaging experiences for youth to imagine their best lives and world while building social skills and channeling their voice in an out-of- school-time environment. TMAS is a nationally recognized after school program for elementary and middle school-aged learners. The program focuses on social and emotional learning, creative exploration and expression in an inclusive learning environment, all tied to academic outcomes to empower youth to Create Great.

Learn more about Thriving Minds

The Metro Opportunity Center at Handley

The Metro Opportunity Center at Handley takes a restorative approach to learning. The program is a partnership between Big Thought and Fort Worth ISD to redesign alternative education, helping students to gain social-emotional learning skills, become active drivers of their own education and take responsibility for their actions through restorative care.

Learn more about The Metro Opportunity Center at Handley

Learning Systems

We strategically connect partners and resources across the city to create learning systems that can effect change on a wider scale. When we work together, we’re better able to reach unprecedented numbers of youth in areas of our city.

Dallas City of Learning

The program provides an out of school arts, culture and STEM learning system for grades K-12 that focuses on connecting youth with low- and no-cost learning experiences that cultivate creativity, build social and emotional skills and boost academic achievement.

Learn more about Dallas City of Learning

Learning Partners

Learning Partners is a partnership between Big Thought, the Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD), and numerous organizations and individuals who have arts and educational experiences that enhance student learning. These field trip opportunities and in-classroom, hands-on experiences, along with virtual programming help youth master critical skills and engage in an interactive way in the real world. Learning Partners connects youth to new experiences in the community while encouraging youth to flex their creative muscle.

Learn more about Learning Partners

Learning Pathways

The Learning Pathways Project is a city-wide effort that aspires to help youth connect skills developed during out-of-school experiences to the pursuit of a college degree, career certificate, or entrepreneurial venture, and ultimately a livable wage.

Learn more about Learning Pathways

Library Out Loud

Library Out Loud is a learning system that offers after school programming at Dallas Public Library branches to engage learner’s creativity through stimulating cultural experiences that are free of charge. This program is currently on hold.

Learn more about Library Out Loud

Learning & Research Partners

Big Thought is honored to be part of a strong network of Learning Partners and to be leading efforts in Dallas to measure the impact of out of school time learning in partnership with SMU’s Center on Research and Evaluation.

Expanded Learning Information Systems

The Expanded Learning Information System (ELIS) is a comprehensive system of student-level and programmatic data to support Out of School Time (OST) and enrichment service providers throughout Dallas.

Learn more about Expanded Learning Information Systems

SEL Dallas

Social and emotional learning (SEL) builds the skills, knowledge and attitudes that students and adults need to be successful in school, work and life. SEL includes knowing and controlling your emotions, understanding and collaborating with others, making positive choices, and demonstrating resiliency.

Learn more about SEL Dallas