Country of Residence
United States
Age
15
Project title
Care Crafts
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
CareCrafts is a youth-led non profit that empowers children facing adversity through creativity by collecting and donating art supplies and leading hands on workshops in hospitals, orphanages and underserved communities around the world. By making art more accessible , we help young people build confidence, self expression, and enjoy the art of creating.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Pilot-Stage (We’ve tried an activity or two)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
For as long as I can remember, my dad celebrated my birthday by donating to a rural orphanage in India. Growing up, I knew about the orphanage, but it wasn't until I visited that it became real. As I spent time with the children, I learned that almost everything in their daily lives from their rooms to their belongings was shared. It made me realize how few things they could truly call their own. Art has always been my own form of expression. In my family, we're encouraged to talk through our problems, because that's how we find solutions. But I've learned that some emotions are difficult to explain, even to the people who know and love us most. Some thoughts simply live quietly in your mind for hours with no way out. When that happened I'd sit at my desk for hours drawing whatever I was feeling. I realized that while every child's story is different, many carry experiences that others may never fully understand, I wanted to share the same creative outlet that had helped me. I organized and led a painting workshop for 25 girls, providing supplies and helping guide them as they created artwork they could proudly call their own. Watching their excitement became my "aha" moment. I saw how much simply allowing them to express themselves with paint and brushes for a couple hours helped build their confidence and self expression.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Children who are afflicted by sickness, poverty, or the upheaval of losing a permanent home often receive assistance for their necessities and simultaneously overlook one very important need, the need to create. Art supplies are usually treated as optional and, hence, the children who could benefit from the creative experience of painting are often left without them like those in hospitals, orphanages, and other needy areas. This is an important issue because art is not just a hobby. Art is a way for the children to express their creativity, gain confidence, and put their deepest feelings into their works. In addition, art allows children to create something that is theirs. The importance of this issue to my community is that it provides opportunities for students, families, and local organizations to help others. Rather than just making donations, volunteers are involved in creating experiences that promote creativity, self-confidence, and network building. Our community realizes through collecting art supplies and providing workshops that even small acts of help can produce important results and that creativity can overcome all boundaries.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Care Crafts is a nonprofit organization envisioned and operated entirely by youth to make creativity more available to everyone by bringing together different communities and children who can benefit from art. The idea is based on three main pillars: collect, create and connect. First, we organize community supply drives or collection campaigns among different schools, local businesses, and other community organizations where we collect all kinds of unused or slightly used art materials from local people. Volunteers pack and sort collected supplies and pack art kits with all necessary supplies for art classes. Second, we run workshops on arts and crafts in place such as hospitals, or orphanages, or disadvantaged communities. Instead of just giving them art supplies, we create an interesting process of learning through art, getting them creative and prepared to leave the place with their pieces of art. My first workshop took place in a rural orphanage in India with 25 girls where I prepared painting activities that helped me to come up with the idea of Care Crafts. Finally, we inspire others to get involved in the project by organizing their own donation campaigns, volunteering at our workshops, and helping us with the expansion of the idea. At oiur workshops, Care Crafts encourages children to take on leadership opportunities within their communities as they run donation drives, plan events, and conduct creative activities. I hope that the model I develop will be one that schools and youth organizations around the world can adopt so that Care Crafts can reach even more hospitals, orphanages, and underprivileged communities. Everyone deserves more than just paintings, every child should leave feeling like they truly have something they can call their own.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
The origins of Care Crafts lie in a single painting workshop organized at a rural orphanage in India which 25 girls participated in. This showed that creativity could serve as a means to foster connection, confidence, and joy. Subsequently, this experience became the basis of the more extensive mission of Care Crafts. My aim now is to transform Care Crafts into a youth-run nonprofit that would provide artistic opportunities to children in need anywhere in the world. Therefore, in the upcoming years, I expect to organize continuous events where supplies are collected, to cooperate with different institutions such as schools, libraries, hospitals, and communities, and to recruit students who would run workshops for children in their areas. As Care Crafts continues growing, I will evaluate the results of my work in terms of the number of children reached, the number of obtained art supplies, the number of workshops organized, the number of participants, and in the number of established partnerships in the community. The central idea is not just providing children with art supplies but starting a movement where creativity is used for improving communities and helping children create their masterpieces.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Numerous organizations offer creative programs or art materials, however, Care Crafts offers a new perspective on how to arrange and ensure these possibilities. Instead of treating children as recipients of donations, we establish a youth-oriented movement in which students take part in creating useful activities. Each volunteer is prompted to conduct supply drives, create local partnerships, and lead various workshops, so that service turns into something much more than just an event. Our model is very simple: communities give art supplies, student volunteers turn these supplies into ready kits and these kits are used to give an opportunity to children to create something. Instead of simply receiving a box of supplies, students gain connections and friendships with the institutions and children they work with. Care Crafts has been structured to facilitate duplication. Rather than relying on a single governing body, I am establishing a chapter model that can be adopted by schools and youth organizations. Each chapter will be able to collaborate with local hospitals, homeless shelters, orphanages, libraries, or community centers, as all the chapters adhere to the same principles and procedures. As a result, whereas one chapter will rely on one leader, the movement will continue spreading its influence through multiple ones.Perhaps most importantly, Care Crafts challenges the assumption that creativity is a privilege rather than a necessity. It is believed that art should be considered the necessary means of self-expression, building confidence, and connecting with people. By combining youth leadership and community partnerships with creativity, Care Crafts does not stop at providing art supplies, it also transforms communities through making art accessible for children.
How many people are on your team?
5
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
The current team consists of five members. My parents were part of the team in connecting with the orphanage in India and continue to support us with advice and community contacts. As the Founder and President, I lead the work of the organization in terms of vision, partners, and workshops. Two former classmates of mine work as Co-Presidents and assist with Care Crafts, donations, events, and our prospective development. Together, we share the leadership of the organization in making decisions.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
In the upcoming year, my aim is to change Care Crafts from a local project into an enduring non-profit. I intend to reach out to schools, universities, hospitals, libraries, and other non-governmental organizations to hold different fundraisers and facilitate participation in artistic workshops. At the same time, I will be recruiting volunteers and building the infrastructure that would enable students to organize their own events, run workshops, and implement new projects. In order to achieve sustainability of Care Crafts, I will develop a community model that all schools will be able to replicate easily. The model will include all training materials and guidelines on workshops as well as resources for partnerships and event planning tools. I also will work on expanding Care Crafts’ presence online by creating pages on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, and developing a Gmail account dedicated solely to the project. These actions will help with recruiting volunteers, connecting with other nonprofits, sharing success stories, organizing donation drives, and ensuring the involvement of schools in Care Crafts. Ultimately, by the end of the year, I hope to see a network of students implementing projects together with Care Crafts.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
The conviction that everybody has the capacity to make a difference is part of what the Care Crafts Organization is all about. As the organization expands, we plan to use resources such as social media platforms, schools, and libraries to recruit volunteers. We will create a website that will facilitate student registration to become a volunteer, run a chapter, make requests for workshops, and partner with the organization. Instead of only soliciting donations of supplies for art, the organization encourages volunteers to develop leadership skills by actively leading projects. By organizing a supply drive, creating community partnerships, assembling art kits, planning events, and leading workshops, young people benefit from practicing their leadership and teamwork skills while making a meaningful contribution to the community. I have already gotten my parents and a few of my classmates involved in setting up Care Crafts and successfully led a painting workshop at an orphanage. This experience confirmed that it is only through creativity that people work together. I envision creating a network of Care Crafts chapters where students will help younger kids through creativity to experience the joy of art as well as learn how to become leaders in their communities.
