ST. PAUL – The St. Paul & District Arts Foundation wrapped up its summer programming for youth in St. Paul and the surrounding areas, last week.
“The arts are really important not only to be out and active in your community, but just for mental health in general,” said Cianna Delisle, CSJ recreation leader at the Foundation. “It’s always just great for kids to learn that there’s other opportunities out there about the arts.”
Among the summer activities, there was an art camp that ran throughout the summer, according to Delisle. During the days the camp took place, interested youth were able to drop-in if they were available.
“We’ve had some great turnouts and we’ve had few smaller classes, but overall, it’s been pretty good,” said Delisle.
She feels positive seeing the community come together after having been pushed apart for so long during the pandemic. “It seems like a lot of people actually want to come out and see what we have to offer and that’s been really great. So, it’s nice this year to be able to have a bit more freedom.”
Despite the lifting of pandemic restrictions, she explained the foundation still put great effort into maintaining safety during its activities.
Dance camps were also among the summer activities offered by the foundation.
Hailey Bykowsky, dance instructor at the foundation, saw her younger self in some of the youth, stating, “That was me growing up. I didn’t want to play sports in the summer... I wanted to go to dance.”
“For some people, they only want to dance, or they only want to do art classes and stuff like that,” said Bykowsky. “It’s nice to have a variety of things going on here too because we have art classes, dance classes, and music lessons.”
Providing youth with a variety of opportunities is important, according to Bykowsky, because youth love to have fun. In addition, she said activities like dancing allow young people to exercise and it gets them physically moving indoors, especially during the summer when it’s hot outside.
Bykowsky has been dancing since she was a child. She danced with Fame Dance Studios in Elk Point, then taught at the same studio for two years when she was a teenager, before finding herself a place with the Arts Foundation.
When asked what Bykowsky wanted to see from her students at the end of the lessons, she gleefully responded, “I like seeing them tired.” She added, “Because that means they’re trying and they’re having fun.”
The last summer art class wrapped up on Aug. 16 and the last dance class was held on Aug. 19, according to Delisle, who will now be packing her own bags and heading to Red Deer to study for a bachelor's degree in education.
The foundation is now gearing up for the Alberta Culture Days in September, with the specific date yet to be determined.
