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Teen Programs in Austin, Lakeway, Round Rock and Cedar Park and Surrounding Areas : Totally Cool

The Totally Cool Objectives
Totally Cool, Totally Art program is guided by five objectives to increase teens' sense of success and accomplishment in their lives:

Safe Places & Sense of Belonging:
To increase teens' sense of belonging, and teens' feeling that they have safe, positive, and creative environments in which to participate during available free time.

Austin Price Check! Totally Cool Teen Programs are FREE!

New Experiences:
To provide opportunities for new experiences in order to increase participants' knowledge, skills and possible interest in art as a career field.

Teamwork/Communication:
To increase teens' ability to work cooperatively with other teens and increase teens' ability to communicate effectively in a group.

Respect/Trust:
To increase teens' trust and respect for other teens, adult mentors, artists, and other authority figures.

Art Education:
To increase teens' ability to make creative and positive choices through self-expression.

History
The Totally Cool, Totally Art program begain in October 1996, as part of the Austin City Council's Social Fabric Initiative - an initiative to help the community deal with teen issues. The goal of the initiative is to offer programs which enrich and expand the choices made available to youth during high risk, after-school hours by creating alternative activities.

TCTA is made possible by the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and is a collaboration between the Dougherty Arts School and community recreation centers.

The community recreation centers were selected to house the art classes in order to tap into the teen population and offer a safe and cool place to "hang-out." Beginning in 1998, collaborations between the art program and the Parks and Recreation Department Roving Leader Program increased the geographic reach of TCTA, providing service to even more teenages.

The five objectives or program goals, developed by Dr. Peter A. Witt of the Texas A&M University Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Sciences, established TCTA as a focused and structured program with benefits to the community.

Modeled as a free, after-school, arts education program, TCTA maintains a strong mentoring component both before the classes with recreation center staff, and during the classes where teens work along side professional artists. Helping teens connect with role models in the community, the program re info rces their positive choices, gives them new experiences, builds respect and trust, keeps them out of trouble during high risk after-school hours, and improves their skills in creative expression, communication, teamwork, and arts appreciation.

If you are an interested teen (Grade 7th-12th) and want to take TCTA classes, contact one community recreation centers below:

Alamo Recreation Center
474-2806

Cantu/Pan Am Recreation Center
476-9193

Dittmar Recreation Center
441-4777

Givens Recreation Center/ Barbara Jordan Outreach Program
928-1982/480-3011

Metz Recreation Center
478-8716

Montopolis Recreation Center
385-5931

Northwest Recreation Center
458-4107

Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center
472-7142

Rosewood Recreation Center
472-6838

South Austin Recreation Center
444-6601

St. John's Recreation Center / Dottie Jordan Recreation Center
974-7865/926-3491

Dougherty Arts School - TCTA
397-1481 or 397-1473

Source Information:
City of Austin Department of Parks and Recreation

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