Dance Programs Empowering Youth

The DEA Educational Foundation (DEAEF) has brought the successful and well sought-after DEAEF Youth Dance Program to schools and youth partner sites for thirteen years. And, each year interest in the program and our waitlist grows. The DEAEF has seen first-hand how dance can be a positive and healthy alternative to drug abuse and misuse as well as a strong tool for self-expression. We are honored to continue to work with the amazing dance companies and instructors that we have, in many cases, partnered with for years and we are also honored to work with the youth we get to interact with every week. 

Due to the longevity of the DEAEF YDP we have developed legacy programs and tradition in our over 55 dance program cities nationwide. Such as, our now six-year partnership with Ranger High Tech Academy in North Ridgeville, OH where kids dance weekly with instructors from Ballet Legato. Over the years students have had a chance to grow with the program, not just in learning steps but also through teamwork, discipline and creativity. We have also watched how youth embrace our long-term teachers, such as Teacher Eileen from Culture Shock Chicago who has said, "The DEAEF Dance Program empowers students to make healthy choices and express themselves creatively through movement. Through dance, we provide not only physical activity but also a safe space for mentorship, confidence building, and fostering positive relationship.  I am truly honored to be a part of the DEA Educational Foundation - it has been one of the greatest joys of my teaching career." And, we have seen how the legacy of some of our long-term programs has created a foothold in the community, such as our program work in Portland, Maine where teacher Elizabeth leads an annual summer camp and in Manchester, NH where Granite State Dance Center leads winter and spring dance camps and multiple school programs in partnership with the DEA Educational Foundation. We thank our everyday heroes, our teachers and partners, for making a difference in the lives of youth.

As we come to an end of the 2025 year, the DEA Educational Foundation continues to focus on what WE can do to make a difference in someone’s life. We look at how we help to make a child smile, live a drugfree lifestyle and find successes through positive mentorship. The DEA Educational Foundation Youth Dance Program is one outlet that helps to achieve these goals and we hope you will support us in the endeavor. 

Links:

• DEA Educational Foundation

Although 2025 has been a challenging year for many, the DEA Educational Foundation continues to work around the clock to bring prevention education, positive outlets, hope and smiles to youth across the country. The DEA Educational Foundation has continued to expand its efforts in providing youth programs, now in over 85 cities, across the United States. The DEAEF Youth Dance Program, the Foundation’s flagship youth program, remains our largest program reaching thousands of youth each year. Throughout the 2024-25 school year, the dance programs impacted youth in schools, youth clubs and community sites through the energetic and artistic outlet of movement. We reached youth coast to coast and in big cities and small towns with a range of different styles of dance. Every day we receive the reports from our instructors about the kids’ smiles, teamwork and healthy expression. 

In the summer season, when kids often need outlets the most, the DEAEF provides many fun camps and scholarships that provide youth with a fun and healthy outlet, led by strong mentors in a safe location. In June alone we provided dance camps to students in many cities across the country, such as Raleigh, Miami and Sacramento. And this trend will continue throughout the summer in Albuquerque, Manchester, Las Vegas and more.  Every day in their comments and evaluations, our youth make clear what these programs mean to them.

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“Dance is my reason for getting out of bed.” -Chrissi 

“Dance is something that not only lets me express myself, but it helps me connect with other people in ways words cannot.” - London

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 As we embark on our summer youth programs and head into the new school year the DEAEF staff will continue to ask, “What can we do to make a difference in someone life? What can we do to make someone smile today?” We are committed to our goals of reaching youth and saving a life, one step at a time.

Links:

• DEA Educational Foundation