Studio T

Studio T transforms the lives of vulnerable youth and their families through the power of the performing arts, culturally-relevant and engaging experiences, and creative entrepreneurship that actually pays young people. Essentially, we transform difficult-to-serve youth who live in low-income, minority communities, into vibrant young leaders who can earn a dollar, pay it forward, and express themselves in positive ways. Sacramentan youth flock to Studio T because it's a place where they can belong, gain hope, and shine joyfully as themselves while gaining upward mobility. For nearly 15 years, we have successfully implemented our mission of using the performing arts to make a lifetime impression on the hearts and minds of community youth. Annually, we serve more than 5,000 families in Sacramento’s most under-resourced neighborhoods. We work in urban housing developments, community centers, and across 5 school districts at 52 school sites. In addition, we run an online learning platform called "Pass to Class" that engages over 192,000 educators across the nation. We bring joy and hope through dance, as well as build self-esteem, creativity, confidence, and an unshakable respect for the arts. Dance is our primary engagement tool-- a culturally relevant way for us to connect with diverse youth-- but we are also a youth development nonprofit. Why? Because when we couple the arts with real-world skill development and enthusiastic empowerment, we witness explosions of academic growth and powerful transformations of entire families. Too many of our families face poverty, hunger, and a systematic lack of opportunity, so our daily work includes financial education, life and social skills training, and entrepreneurship.