Series 1 of Community Drop-In has officially concluded, and we have already started Series 2, which launched on April 7, 2026. Our first series consisted of five weeks of programming held at three partner sites throughout Savannah, totaling fifteen art workshops made accessible to the young people in our community. Each workshop was facilitated by one of six artists who share Deep Center’s commitment to positively impact the lives of our young people.
Alix Baptise facilitated “The Art of Entrepreneurship,” engaging young people in the imaginative and creative side of small business ownership. He encouraged our young people to discover their natural talents and identify the things they love and care about as inspiration for a business idea. Our young people illustrated and designed either a business logo or a multi-media collage vision board.
Desiree Drake facilitated “Superhero Poets,” encouraging youth at PARC to identify their strengths, skills, and abilities that make them unique individuals. She also guided our youth in imagining those unique qualities as superpowers, reminding them that they are capable change makers. The youth designed themselves as superheroes and wrote accompanying poems to tell their origin story!
Justice Maxey facilitated “Dramalouges,” introducing the art of drama and theatre as fun, creative tools for social-emotional learning, relational embodiment, and community building. A group favorite was “Statue,” a drama game where one partner molds the other into a statue of a given topic, item, or emotion. Through this fun, silly, and imaginative game, Justice created a safe space for young people to practice asking and responding to consent to physical touch.
Quentin Smith facilitated ” My Sound, My Story,” encouraging our young people to share a personal narrative told through sound design. A guided listening of sample orchestral pieces allowed young people to “feel” the sounds and imagine the story. Quentin then provided hands-on learning of sound design and music production hardware and software. Each young person crafted a unique sound story.
Scenarious Thurmond facilitated “Movement X Poetry” and “Clowning Around,” blending creative body and spatial movement with poetic affirmation statements. This space gave young people the chance to be imaginative, creative, bold, and a little silly. Shaylyn Mackey facilitated “The Art of Improv,” skills to improve emotional recognition & regulation. She masterfully engaged youth in various improv skill-building games that required quick thinking, collaborative imagining, and thoughtful control. Not only did the youth have fun with a new experience with improv, but they also tuned into the physical manifestation of feelings, emotions, and creativity within their own bodies.
All of these incredible and memorable experiences were facilitated by our phenomenal teaching artist. Our community has so many creative and compassionate artists, and Deep is extremely grateful to partner with individuals who inspire our youth to bring their dreams and skills to life.