This free arts program gives teens a shot at pursuing their dreams in the spotlight

The one thing that brought friends, Jennifer Milla Ramirez, Miranda Russell, and Keirah Buckley together was their shared passion for performing musical theatre.

But growing up in low-income households made it hard for the London, Ont., teenagers and their families to afford art lessons. 

"I'm the oldest with two younger brothers, so by the time I got to Grade 8, my younger brothers wanted to start doing sports, and it just cost too much for my parents to be able to do a bunch of things for all of us, so I just couldn't afford it," said Russell, 18. 

"As a first generation immigrant, there was always more important things to put money into like food and housing, so I hadn't thought it was possible to pursue my passion for singing and dancing," Milla Ramirez, 16, added.

Their dreams to pursue their talents were brought to life when they became a part of Arts 4 All Kids, which offers free fine arts education for children whose families cannot afford them.

Since 1988 it's provided group lessons in piano, violin, guitar, dance, drama, creative writing, and visual arts. It runs out of the London Food Bank and gives lessons to approximately 65 to 85 kids between ages eight and 12, per week, said founder Karen Pincombe, along with a musical theatre program for youth ages 13 through high school. 

"I just really believe in the arts and what they do for kids," Pincombe said. "Especially kids whose parents would really love to provide this opportunity, but the financial constraints make it impossible, so we really just want to push alongside them and help them."

Pincombe believes the program makes a difference not only in the students' lives, but also their parents, who are doing their best to provide for their families and support their kids' dreams.

Coming from a musical family, Buckley, 16, was interested in dancing from a very young age. The program has given her an outlet to express that side of her creativity.

The teens have formed a sense of community with their peers and found motivation to be more outgoing and confident when performing in front of large crowds. 

"You could be having a horrible day but when you come to practice, you just see a bunch of big smiles because everyone's there for the same goal which is to do what they love," Buckley said.

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In the years she's ran the program, Pincombe has noticed the many ways it's improved students' self-confidence, behaviours and academic performances — and in some cases, change the trajectory of their lives, she said. 

"That gift of something they dream about changes the way they feel about themselves. It really affects their personalities and basically just gives them a life-affirming and life-changing opportunity," Pincombe said.