Lynn's economic struggle
RAW is located in Lynn, a city with a bustling population of 87,000. Despite Lynn's ocean-front location just nine miles north of Boston, the city struggles economically compared to more affluent neighboring towns. Lynn's crime, poverty, teen birth and high school dropout rates are more than twice the state average.
Cultural diversity
Lynn is fortunate to have a rich cultural landscape. However, this frequently harbors cultural and economic isolation for our kids. There are kids who are children of immigrants and may be the only English speakers in their home. Others have never considered there is a world outside of Lynn. While the majority of young artists come from Lynn, we also serve kids from the neighboring towns of Salem, Marblehead, Nahant and Swampscott, bringing together young people whose paths would typically not cross.
Beyond art making
Recognizing the positive impact that RAW has on the lives of the kids we serve, RAW's programs have evolved beyond the making of art and film. We have created platforms for success by providing mentoring for college access and SAT prep, financial aid access, youth employment, and opportunities to develop life skills like public speaking and personal financial responsibility. RAW serves as a place that increases access to possibilities for the young artists that walk through our doors.
RAW broadens the fabric of our community through countless partnerships. We have formed strong connections to North Shore Community College and Salem State University. We connect kids to a variety of organizations in areas such as job availability and training (JobCorps, MyTurn) and health (the Lynn Community Health Center). While our anchor is in Lynn, we have reached out to organizations in surrounding communities such as the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem. PEM has partnered with RAW to provide programs and internship opportunities to our kids, as well as being the site for Real 2 Reel's annual film screening.
RAW in the heart of downtown Lynn
With the support of a Wallace Foundation Participation Learning Network grant, RAW has further engaged the Lynn community. Last year, our annual Big Thanks dinner welcomed over 300 kids and their families into RAW Space. We have invited the community into RAW through our RAWTalks series featuring visiting artists and our adults-only Artist for a Day workshop. RAW also offers film screenings, gallery exhibits and openings, career nights, and neighborhood parties. With our central location, we view RAW Space as the heart of downtown Lynn and a destination for not just our kids, but for the community as a whole.
