The Spring Valley REC Club in Spring Valley, CA gives teens in the community a safe, positive, drug and violence-free place to go to after school. Every day, dozens of youth come to the REC Club where they can do homework, arts & crafts, play sports, make music, play games, and many other activities at no cost. Something we really like at the REC club is expression through performing arts. Unfortunately, funding for performing arts programs in our community’s schools has been replaced in order to fund other programs. Students no longer have as many opportunities to play musical instruments or take part in activities like theatre and dance. Since we have little performing arts in school, we are working hard to bring more to the Spring Valley REC Club.

To help with the lack of performing arts in our schools, I am putting together a musical talent show at the Spring Valley REC Club called The REC’s Got Talent. The REC’s Got Talent will be open to kids ages 10-17 from the different schools in our community. This includes 2 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 2 high schools. This is a great opportunity for kids in the community to show off their talent of performing arts, as well as a chance to introduce them the REC Club. The Spring Valley REC Club supports music and the arts, with a music room and full set of instruments. We come to the REC Club to learn guitar, sing, and dance. The REC’s Got Talent is our chance to show our community the musical skills we learn everyday at the REC Club.

I have organized a planning committee to help put on this event, which is made up of a youth leadership group called the REC Ambassadors. The REC Club staff is helping me promote The REC’s Got Talent to our community. Our plan is to let any youth from the 6 surrounding schools in the community sign up for the talent show. They can sign up as a group or they can perform alone. The talent show will last for 3 hours and we are planning a date for March. We will invite family and friends to come watch the show where they can enjoy healthy snacks while they watch. We hope to build a new back-drop to put behind the performers on the stage. Musical instruments and equipment from the REC Club will be on stage for youth to use in their acts. I will be the MC for the night. After everyone has performed, we will have judges decide the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner who will win gift cards to stores that support their musical talents. Over the last few weeks, the kids at the REC Club have started practicing for the talent show. The music room is filling up. Kids from the REC Club and kids from outside of the REC Club are getting together to learn dance moves, song lyrics, and play instruments. They are excited to show their family and friends their musical abilities and to have a chance to win prizes for their hard work and talent. We hope to put on The REC’s Got Talent regularly and get even more of the community’s youth involved.

REC Club Staff are helping us promote THE REC’s Got Talent to the community. They are also providing musical instruments, music lessons, and making sure the stage and equipment is ready for the show. Staff from Healthy Adventures Foundation, a local non-profit, is helping us with grant-writing so we can make The REC’s Got Talent a regular event.