Teaching Artistry With Courtney J. Boddie

In Episode 65: "A Soft Place," Courtney sits down with Carmen Kelly, an inspiring human with a rich history in arts education. Currently, Kelly is a Program Director at the Brooklyn-based NIA Community Services Network's after-school program, which aims to engage kids in the arts to create positive pathways in their lives. As Courtney takes us deeper into her work, we learn that Kelly aims to encourage primarily Black and brown youth to examine themselves and work to find and name what is intrinsically good about who and what they are. Kelly notes that this work is all about fostering difficult and deep conversations, and intentionally setting up systems that center young people. At the core of this, Kelly tells us, is creating a soft place for kids to turn to, especially in our increasingly chaotic world. Questions that are addressed in this episode are: How can we create opportunities to let young people know that adults care about them and what they have to say? How can young people feel successful in