New Beginnings is a new year-long Arts Education & Career Development program for justice-involved youth!

This paid one-year program is held every Saturday from 10am-4pm at OYE Group's new multipurpose space in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The instructional modules are each 2 months long and taught by working NYC artists in their respective fields. The overall program will be personally overseen by an arts educator with extensive expertise and experience in working with justice-involved youth, and will introduce participants to:
1. Oct/Nov 2025 - Poetry;
2. Jan/Feb 2025 - Theater;
3. April/May 2026 - Visual Arts & Film; and
4. July/August 2026 - Theatre Design and Performing Arts Technologies

In between each module (December, March & June), there will be one month of career development sessions and growth-related activities such as job training and experiential learning interspersed between the modules. September 2026 will be for final career prep and presentations. 

If accepted into the program, each youth participant will receive $16.50/hour. 

Suppose your child advances to the finalist round. In that case, you, as a parent/guardian, will then be contacted no later than Oct 1, 2025, Wednesday, with a detailed program schedule breakdown, and then asked to confirm your child's availability for a time slot to join an online Zoom interview to be conducted on October 3, 2025, Friday, facilitated by the program heads.

We will then deliberate and announce your child's acceptance into the program by October 8, 2025, and expect their attendance for the Saturday sessions at Oye Group's space in Bushwick beginning October 11, 2025, and running Saturdays through to September 2026.

To reiterate important dates in 2025:
Sept 28 - Online Application Due
Oct 1 - Online Finalists contacted
Oct 3 - Online interviews conducted
Oct 8 - Program Awardees contacted
Oct 11 - Day 1 of Program

This program is made possible with the generous support of the Pinkterton Foundation.