Press Release
At-Risk Youth Find Expression through Art
Works on view at Dell Austin Children’s Museum
AUSTIN, TX, July 7, 2004 – Phoenix House, a nonprofit organization dedicated
to the prevention and treatment of substance abuse will be showcased in a special
exhibition during the month of August at the Dell Austin Children’s Museum.
The museum will open the exhibit of a three-panel mural and photography with
a reception on July 31st, from 4pm to 6pm. The event will include music, food
and entertainment for visitors and guests of all ages to enjoy.
Phoenix House, utilizes community projects such as these to engage at risk
youth during the summer months. Prevention specialists and intervention counselors
provide alternative activities to boys ages 7-13 at Oak Creek, Meadowbrook, and
Fairway Community Villages. An active partnership with the YWCA of greater Austin
extends this program to girls. These activities are designed to establish safe
and healthy lifestyle choices while incorporating summer fun and creativity.
This year, thanks to a generous grant received from Applied Materials, participants
in the camp, along with youth selected by Phoenix House have been challenged
to look at their surroundings in a new and exciting way — through a camera
lens. With disposable cameras, the children have learned to appreciate the outdoor
beauty of Austin, as well as the beauty to be found in their own backyards.
In keeping with the idea of creative expression, these youngsters painted moveable
murals depicting their neighborhoods that will be exhibited at the museum with
possible permanent installation at the Community Villages. The project symbolizes
unity while typifying the importance of individuality. The designer of the mural
portion of the project is a young artist who was raised in Meadowbrook Community
Village.
Phoenix House, founded in 1967, is the nation’s leading non-profit substance
abuse treatment and prevention organization, operating more than 100 programs
in nine states with a treatment population greater than 6,000. In 1995, the Office
of the Governor of Texas invited Phoenix House to provide in-prison substance
abuse treatment. Since that time, Phoenix House has focused on community-based
programs, and now operates 12 programs in and around Austin, Dallas, and the
Houston/Galveston Bay area.
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Media Contact: Rebecca Adler
(512) 851-1231 ext. 4005
radler@phoenixhouse.org
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