The mission of Marina Youth Arts is to provide opportunities for children of Marina and throughout the region to experience the performing, visual, and cultural arts through seasonal and year-round participation-based programs.
Marina Youth Arts provides free, nonprofit-led Creative Wellness Through Journaling & Art programs held on two Marina school campuses and at a local afterschool center. These programs are independently operated and offered outside of the school day, providing youth with enriching, arts-based emotional support not covered by standard school curriculum. Inspired by the positive emotional growth we’ve seen, we’re expanding to reach children even earlier. Our Big Idea brings Creative Wellness Through Journaling & Art to transitional kindergarteners—nurturing emotional understanding, communication, and creativity from the very start.
Marina Youth Arts provides free, nonprofit-led arts programming that supports emotional well-being and creative expression for youth in Monterey County. Our Creative Wellness Through Journaling & Art classes take place after school on Marina school campuses and are independently operated, offering social-emotional support beyond what public schools provide. Over 250 Marina students participated in these classes last year. Our programming at the Marina Teen Center is open to all county youth and regularly draws participants from Salinas, Seaside, and surrounding areas—extending our impact beyond Marina and fostering connection across communities.
I love having art class because it calms me.
- Cassie T, age 8, Marina
