Pictured: CreArte Latino Learning. Photo courtesy of CreArte Latino Cultural Center.

CreArte Latino Cultural Center has been selected to receive a $6,900 Community Impact Grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. The grant will support funding facilitators for CreArte Latino’s many classes and workshops for adults, children and families. The bilingual arts and education nonprofit serves as a creative hub for the growing Latino/Hispanic communities in Sarasota and Manatee counties. CreArte Latino’s mission is to be a connector between Latinos/Hispanics and the community at large through arts and education opportunities and events. “This empowering grant gives us the opportunity to expand our educational programming and reach more than 200 students,” says Carolina Franco, the artistic director and president of CreArte Latino. She explains that her organization seeks to address a cultural issue that especially affects young people in the surrounding Latino/Hispanic community. “There can be a lack of knowledge about their roots. Children may not speak Spanish and they may have no idea about their culture. We want to bolster their pride and give them a direct experience of their rich heritage. We are deeply grateful to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to support us in this important mission.”

CreArte Latino Cultural Center’s schedule for 2022-2023 includes the ongoing “Amigos Book Club” for adults and a new “Amigos Book Club” for children, both for Spanish speakers. In addition, there is an adult class in Spanish for English speakers called “Conversemos” and an adult class in English for Spanish speakers called “Let’s Talk in English.” Book clubs and language classes are all via the Zoom platform. For in- person learning, the Center plans two Children’s Acting Workshops and a workshop in Music Making and Dance for Youth. CreArte Latino encourages family participation in the children’s classes.

Pictured: CreArte Latino Learning. Photo courtesy of CreArte Latino Cultural Center.

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