In a typical year, Destiny Arts Center (DAC) brings over 5,000 children and youth (ages 0 to 24) financially accessible, professionally taught movement and performing arts classes that support their socio-emotional health. Classes take place in our 7,800 sq. ft. North Oakland arts center and at approximately 50 school sites, primarily Title I schools in East and West Oakland. DAC’s professional teaching artists are well-versed in our Warrior’s Code of values (love, honor, respect, responsibility, care, and peace) and signature creative youth development framework (opening/closing circle, gain artistic experience, engage in creative process, perform). As a result, DAC programs effectively encourage arts learning while increasing young people’s sense of peace, power, and creativity. In addition to our youth programs, we also have a resident Elders Company that engages seniors in our annual professional production alongside our Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company (13-18yo) and our Destiny Junior Company (9-12yo). We contribute to the Creative Economy by providing over 600 free hours of studio space annually to several Resident Companies including the Alphabet Rockers, The Belonging Resident Company, the Embodiment Project, Mix’d Ingredients and others. Destiny employs over 30 teaching artists, including 7 full-time artists, providing a stable creative employment model for the field. Because most of our teaching artists work at multiple arts organizations as instructors, our comprehensive professional development series allows all boats to rise in a sea of shared creative labor. Our training includes healing centered approaches, cultural history of hip hop dance, universal design, Creative Youth Development, and other artistic pedagogical methods.