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About UsWe are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a mission to promote resilience in young people through educational enrichment and engagement with the arts and Latino cultures.
We achieve this mission through our after school program, summer camp, and flagship program, “The Goodlands®.” Centro uses photography, poetry, Bomba (traditional Puerto Rican dance, percussion, and singing), and mural making to assist young people in the Fairhill community to find their voice and creatively express themselves through the arts. Centro’s goal is to offer experiences to Fairhill’s young people that contribute to their success in and out of school. |
Centro reaches its goals by: 1) utilizing the project-based learning (PBL) method to engage children in arts and Latino cultural programming; 2) offering homework help; and 3) engaging children’s families and community in programming.
PBL is an innovative approach to instruction that engages students in hands-on, interdisciplinary activities that appeal to their interests. PBL presents children with problems that demand the use of critical thinking, creativity, communication, and teamwork. Each project culminates with a student showcase. Children’s families, teachers, peers, and school community are invited to exhibitions of their artistic work and cultural performances.
Today Fairhill is still one of Philadelphia’s most depressed and dangerous neighborhoods: 60% of Fairhill’s residents live below the poverty level; more than 50% of Fairhill’s children do not graduate from high school; and drugs sales are a Fairhill industry. Currently Centro serves more than 100 elementary and middle school children annually and maintains a waiting list. Parents rely on Centro as a safe haven for their children, a resource to help their children understand their homework, and a creative and encouraging environment for their children’s social and emotional growth. Centro’s services are as important now as they were in 1995.
PBL is an innovative approach to instruction that engages students in hands-on, interdisciplinary activities that appeal to their interests. PBL presents children with problems that demand the use of critical thinking, creativity, communication, and teamwork. Each project culminates with a student showcase. Children’s families, teachers, peers, and school community are invited to exhibitions of their artistic work and cultural performances.
Today Fairhill is still one of Philadelphia’s most depressed and dangerous neighborhoods: 60% of Fairhill’s residents live below the poverty level; more than 50% of Fairhill’s children do not graduate from high school; and drugs sales are a Fairhill industry. Currently Centro serves more than 100 elementary and middle school children annually and maintains a waiting list. Parents rely on Centro as a safe haven for their children, a resource to help their children understand their homework, and a creative and encouraging environment for their children’s social and emotional growth. Centro’s services are as important now as they were in 1995.
A video about Centro Nueva Creación featuring Interim Executive Director Maribel Lozada Arzuaga, produced by Dana Horrell.
Our Community: A Poem |
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Who We Are |
Centro is able to provide service to the Fairhill community due to the passion and commitment of a dedicated staff, inspired partner artists, collaborative partner organizations, charitable donor community, and generous grantors. Learn more about our team.
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Our History |
Centro was founded in 1994 and established as a non-profit in 1995, in response to community members’ concerns about the negative impact of neighborhood violence on their children. In 2000, Centro established The Goodlands® program to empower young people to focus on and grow the positive aspects of their neighborhood through photography. In 2015, Centro celebrated 20 years of service.
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"Centro Nueva Creación is exemplary in its implementation of the project-based learning model. The program embraces the concept of youth-driven, hands-on projects and provides rigorous and fun learning experiences for its youth."
- Karen Smuck Tylek, Project Based Learning Coordinator & Tyler Richendollar, Program Specialist, Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) Out-of-School Time Project