Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association - David Bestock

David Bestock - Interview Transcript

We're really excited to launch our Heart Space platform, which is gonna feature teaching artists, our partner organizations, and really try to bring online some of that feeling of collaboration and of the love for our community that is embodied in our programs, and particularly here at our, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, it's really devastating to have to close the doors to Youngstown, because it's a hub for so many people that come and land and be a safe place that inspires creativity and collaboration. So, as much as we can do of that online right now, we're looking to do that on our Heart Space platform. So definitely go and check it out. If you have ideas for that, we're adapting as we go.

Our whole organization exists to bring people together, to collaborate, and to celebrate together, and to connect. And I think that's really valuable right now, so providing a platform where folks can come and see what we're up to, share what they're up to and really have a way to participate. A lot of families with kids at home are trying to keep their lives going and keep their kids busy. And if we can provide some of that engagement for young people through the arts, which is something that we do all the time. If we can do that online, we're not only helping families, but we're expanding our programming as well. So, we're trying to make the most out of this crisis and really find the opportunity within.

Heart Space is featuring some of our own programming. Some of our art programs have moved online, and we're doing art challenges and actually, it's a incentive there so that families living in affordable housing, if they do certain amounts of those challenges, we're gonna order pizza to their house. So that's a way to get them engaged and get youth engaged. We're testing it out right now and people are engaging with it, but we're certainly gonna launch it more this summer. It's part of our summer program. Heart Space also has some of our regular renters, folks who are teaching dance fitness and yoga, and belly dancing, have their online classes featured on Heart Space. Totem Star who runs out of our recording studio has some of their content online and we're looking to share that. So we're really trying to bring the feelings from the hallways at Youngstown on to the website at dnda.org/heartspace and trying to really provide a place for people to still connect with each other and with us in this time.

Yeah, if you're interested in learning more and certainly if you're interested in supporting us, we could use all the support we can get right now, go to dnda.org. You can check out our new Heart Space Platform, dnda.org/heartspace. You can make a donation that goes directly towards supporting the residents in our affordable housing and sustaining our org, that's at dnda.org/donate. Pretty robust website, go check out all our programs, check out our partners. And if you have any ideas for us in terms of programming or you wanna engage, certainly let us know we are open and adaptable and we are very much a community organization. So we really value folks contributions and input towards helping us survive and helping us really support the most vulnerable in our community.