Program Overview

Noah’s Arc programs are focused on two areas: art and sports.

Through the expression of art and the discipline of sports, we work to develop the confidence and foster the passion that exists within every child.

The goal of our programs is to help children tap into their unique passions and achieve their full potential in all areas.

Additionally, our Drop of Consciousness™ movement is infused throughout each program, working to promote peace, unity and positive change.

Expressions from the Inside® is an expressive art therapy program developed by Noah's Arc Foundation Co-Founder and President, Cecilia Rodhe. This program gives young people in under-served areas and those who are dealing with emotional and/or physical adversity and trauma the opportunity to engage in powerful self-expression. In the program, the instructor presents the young people with an emotion, such as happiness, sadness, or anger, and then shows them how apply that concept to the clay. After feeling the material and imprinting it with their energy, a form gradually emerges, and they begin working through the selected emotion to create a sculpture that is their own personal representation of the feeling. Through this experience the young people learn how to sculpt not only what they see – but also what they feel.

On Mother's Day, Cecilia Rodhe and the Noah's Arc Foundation invite mothers who have lost children to gun violence for a Day of Expression. Cecilia specifically shaped her Expression from the Inside for Kids® curriculum to accommodate adults, and leads a sculpting workshop to help the mothers express emotions they have experienced surrounding the loss of their loved one. After sculpting, the mothers share a meal together and present their artwork to those in the room. It was a very emotional experience and many tears were shed, as they shared stories of their loved ones they had lost to violence. At the end of the day, Noah's Arc Foundation presents each woman with her own Drop of Consciousness™ pendant to celebrate her strength, vulnerability, and resiliency in the face of unimaginable sorrow.

Noah’s Arc Foundation and After School Matters are uniting forces to inspire peace in Chicago communities through arts programming and the Drop of Consciousness movement. With both organizations’ deep connection to the city of Chicago, its communities and its youth, the Rock Your Drop on the Block event provides a platform for Chicago’s youth to have their voices heard. Youth draw inspiration from the pillars of Noah’s Arc as well as the Drop of Consciousness to develop visual and performance art that will be showcased at the Rock Your Drop on the Block event as well as peace flags that will be carried by hundreds of youth and community members as they march to the event.
 
Throughout the summer teens participating in the arts programming throughout the city of Chicago will be discussing, reflecting, and creating artwork that is influenced by the pillars of Noah’s Arc including awareness, consciousness, unity, and gratitude as well as the Drop of Consciousness movement for peace.

Learn more at www.rockyourdropontheblock.com

Read more about the inaugural event in the Chicago Tribune.

Noah's Arc Foundation hosts Stand UP Basketball throughout the year to help youth build new relationships, strengthen unity within the city, and stay safe off the streets. Each league lasts six weeks and serves six neighborhood teams consisting of 10 young men, ages 14-24, from the south and west sides of Chicago. 

Incidents of violence rise right along with the temperatures in the summer. Therefore, in partnership with the Major Adams Community Committee, Noah's Arc Foundation hosts an intensive Moonlight Basketball League with games two nights a week from June through August.

All players became ambassadors for the Drop of Consciousness™ movement, bringing messages of peace, positive change and non-violence back to their neighborhoods.

The ONE CITY Basketball Tournament is a cornerstone of NAF's Drop of Consciousness™ movement, as it serves as a forum to promote peace, unite the city of Chicago and take a stand against violence. It is an opportunity for young people to come together and make a public commitment to reduce violence in their neighborhoods and serve as ambassadors for peace. The tournament is made up of four qualifying tournaments, two on the south side and two on the west side, and one final tournament. Each player in the final received a Drop of Consciousness™ pendant to showcase their commitment to peace, unity and positive change.

As seen in:

The Stickman Classic Youth Basketball Tournament was started by Joakim’s long-time coach and mentor, Tyrone Green, and is held annually in Long Island City, NY. Hundreds of boys and girls, ages 12-18, from all five boroughs participate in the summer-long tournament at the Long Island City YMCA. Each year, Noah's Arc Foundation hosts a celebration which features the championship game for each of the five divisions as well as a meet and greet with Joakim, special expressive art experience with Cecilia, awards celebration, and more.

Developing the values, skills, and abilities learned from participation in sports - sportsmanship, teamwork, problem-solving, self-confidence, and accountability - are essential in preparing our students for success in college, career, and community.

To ensure the opportunity to learn and practice these skills for as many Chicago youth as possible, NAF partnered with CPS in the launch of a no-cut sports program for 5th through 8th graders in January 2017. Harnessing the power of community and sport, this program provides a safe, structured, and positive learning experience for all interested students -- sharing the valuable lessons learned from sports participation.