Erin works as Senior Program Director for Arts and Leadership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine. In this interview, she discusses the impact arts can have when programs include high expectations grounded in positive relationships with peers and staff. Erin oversees a variety of arts programs across Performing and Visual Arts.
Erin speaks of the diverse communities served by her Club, with emphasis on their large immigrant population. Over the years, Erin has enjoyed seeing Club youth grow as artists, especially when their engagement in the arts helps them to reflect and communicate, despite language barriers. Setting high expectations and watching youth build confidence as they witness their projects come to fruition,inspires Erin as an instructor. She shares her thoughts on how the arts can be used by youth as a tool to communicate and advocate for themselves, an essential practice in our lives today.