2025 Dates: April 12^th, April 26^th, May 3^rd, and May 10^th from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Cost: New Junior Leaders – $100 / Returning Junior Leaders – $40

Upon completion of this program, candidates will be eligible to apply for an internship position in the Collier County Summer Camp Program.

Cost: Junior Leader Internship – $100

For more information, please call our main number at 239-252-4000 or Kyle Pryce at (239) 252-4448. Must be 13 years or older by June 1st.

Register online Activity search | Collier County Parks & Recreation

The post Collier Parks Offering Junior Leader Training for Teens Aged 13+ appeared first on SWFL Family.

For children with developmental challenges, experiencing and creating art can be the gateway to communicating their thoughts and emotions while providing freedom and solace in a world that doesn’t always understand them.

When Neapolitan Family handed a crayon and a paint palette to our September cover model, Maddi, a vibrant, nonverbal four year old with autism and sensory processing challenges, her eyes lit up, and she understood the assignment immediately. “She loves art and music,” Maddi’s mother Falon Tabares told us. She “finds joy in the small details that many might overlook.”

With children of his own with sensory processing challenges, The Naples Players (TNP) Education Director Craig Price understands the relationship of art and expression. He created an inclusive improv program to help children express themselves. In addition to the classes offered at TNP, Price teaches theater with a wellness component. “Adults with Alzheimer’s and their care partners benefit greatly from these classes,” he says. “It turns out that the way communication happens for kids with autism as well as adults with Alzheimer’s and dementia is very close to the way we communicate with improv.” This year, TNP will offer several classes for children ages 8-13 and partner with The STARability Foundation to provide classes and job experiences to their community.

TNP Artistic Director Bryce Alexander states the importance of these programs: “We believe that every member of our community deserves access to high-quality arts education and performance, and our new classes for children with developmental delays, including autism and sensory processing challenges, are just the beginning of our initiatives to continue to serve an even wider base of our community.”

In addition to Price’s classes, STARability offers a variety of inclusive vocational, art, social, and educational programs for individuals ages 14 and older with low-to-moderate support needs. This fall will see the launch of the STARability Music Academy, which will be a safe and nurturing environment that supports participants in exploring and developing musical interests and skills while cultivating a deeper appreciation for all aspects of music.

Nurturing Physical Health

The Alliance for the Arts in Lee County has expanded its ArtPlay Program by adding physical wellness practices such as dance and yoga. Initially created to serve children on the autism spectrum, the program has been redesigned in collaboration with the Lee Association for Remarkable Citizens, tailoring it to “meet the needs of a broader demographic, including individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.” The purpose is to nurture participants’ physical health and emotional well-being and foster personal expression and social interaction within a supportive, familiar environment.

Cynthia and Doug Sharpe, founder of Additional Needs, Inc. and parents of a son with Down syndrome and apraxia, state that “research has proven that music and art are powerful tools in supporting individuals with autism and other additional needs. Research … indicates that engaging in music and art therapy can significantly improve cognitive, emotional, and social development.”

The Sharpes have created a YouTube show called SharpeLivin, which incorporates regular musical activities and creative expression. “We’ve seen noticeable improvements in our son’s memory recall, speech, and communication abilities,” Cynthia Sharpe says. “This has supported his development and provided him with new ways to connect with others and express himself, further developing a greater sense of confidence.”

Southwest Florida opportunities for children with additional needs to create and experience art

The Naples Players Arts Access: Improv & Musical Theatre: Naples Players Arts Access is dedicated to providing high-quality arts access to every member of our community – including those with additional needs. naplesplayers.org

Alliance for the Arts: ArtPlay for Artists with Autism. Ages 8-17 can participate in classes for dance, yoga, ukulele, music, improv, and acting. www.artinlee.org/explore/asd-artplay

EndlessBrain, Inc: EndlessBrain Musical Learning empowers neurodivergent children through innovative and inclusive music opportunities that target social skills and wellbeing. www.facebook.com/EndLessBrainMe

Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples: Exceptional Nights. Exceptional Nights are created for children with physical and/or neurological disabilities, autism, and other sensory integration disorders. Lighting and sounds are muted, cool-down spaces are available, and participation is limited to keep crowds to a minimum. The whole family is encouraged to attend to make the evening enjoyable for the child. cmon.org/exceptional-night

City of Naples Parks & Recreation: People of all abilities are welcome to participate in our programs. We also collaborate with other organizations specializing in adaptive recreation services to offer a variety of program choices. The City of Naples is here to enhance, educate and empower individuals with disabilities, and special needs through leisure and recreation activities, providing life changing opportunities to sustain a better quality of life. naplesgov.com/parksrec

Collier Parks & Recreation: Adaptive Inclusive Recreation (A.I.R.) Creative drawing, and painting skills. All ages and all abilities welcome. www.collierparks.com

Easterseals Southwest Florida: Our Art Initiative Program helps children and adults with disabilities to express themselves while offering our adults the opportunity to generate income through the sale of their artwork. Our adult program is designed to help our artists develop artistic skills while setting them up for success. www.easterseals-swfl.org

Naples Performing Arts Center: The “I’m a STAR” program is NPAC’s musical theater program for the special needs community.  This one-of-a-kind program allows those with developmental and physical challenges the opportunity to learn the performing arts and shine on stage! naplesperformingartscenter.com/im-a-star

The STARability Foundation: Art, Improv, Musical Theatre, and Music Programs: Discover the joy of self-expression through a variety of artistic mediums in a supportive and fun environment. STARability’s year-round art class provides a safe space for participants to enhance their creativity while fostering social connections. Interactive Improv and Musical Theatre classes provide the opportunity to unleash creativity, improve social skills, and build confidence. starability.org STARability partners with The Naples Players and Gulfshore Playhouse in special needs programming.

Sensory-Friendly Performances

Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas: Alamo For All will host sensory-friendly screenings every Tuesday for all shows prior to 2 p.m. and select weekend matinees. drafthouse.com/program/alamo-for-all

Artis–Naples: Naples Philharmonic will host a sensory-friendly performance of The Conductor’s Spellbook. This inclusive musical experience provides a welcoming environment with modifications to lighting and volume. House lights will remain on, and there will be no assigned seats. Patrons may bring fidget toys, pillows, tablets, noise-reduction headphones, or other objects that provide familiarity and comfort. A “quiet room” will be available for any patron seeking a break from the stimulation of the live performance. Saturday, Oct. 5, 11:30 am. artisnaples.org

The Naples Players Arts Access: Several productions throughout the year will have a relaxed performance with modified audio, reduced special effects, limited capacity, a designated chill zone, and the ability to move around the theatre. An accessible sensory-friendly booth with a private entrance and adjustable lighting and sound is available for all performances. TheNaplesPlayers.org

Paragon Theaters: Sensory-friendly screenings on select Saturdays at 10 a.m. The lights are on, the volume is low, and there is room to move around. Upcoming screenings include Transformers One: Witness the Origin, The Wild Robot, and Moana 2. paragontheaters.com/sensoryfriendly

The post Art as Therapy: Empowering Children with Developmental Challenges appeared first on SWFL Family.

That kid was me in 2015. Fortunately, I had my best friend – my grandfather – by my side to help me figure things out. We spent a lot of time together doing things like going to Disney World and watching professional wrestling matches. He was funny, bigger than life, and he “got” me: he seemed to know what to say and do, no matter what was bothering me. My Pap-Pap and I were a solid team; with him I felt safe, loved, and heard.

And then suddenly, he was taken from me, from my family. Nothing about that day seemed unusual: we had gone out to eat, then run some errands – normal family stuff. But overnight, everything changed. Pap died in his sleep from a heart attack, the result of a 100% blocked artery that none of us even knew about. What made it even more horrible was that I didn’t find out about his death until two days later, right before football practice. It was awful.

It’s hard for me to describe my reaction to Pap-Pap’s death – mostly because I pretty much shut out the world. I didn’t have words to describe what I was feeling. You know how you “know” intellectually that something happened, but you can’t believe it in your heart? That was me. I retreated into a very dark place and stayed there, overwhelmed and alone.

My family, of course, loved and reassured me as best they could, but it wasn’t until I got into the Avow Kids program that I started to heal. One of the counselors came to my high school to meet one-on-one with me. This was a big help not only to me but also to my parents, who both work full-time. That counselor gave me the space to say anything I wanted to and to be as “messy” with my emotions as I needed to be. There’s something very different about talking to someone who gets what you’ve been through but who isn’t a family member. There’s no pressure to “get better” somehow; it’s more like the counselor shows you how to honor the person you lost and how to keep that person in your life, even as time passes.

I also attended a session of the Avow Kids Camp MendingHeart overnight camp. That really made me feel less alone in my grief. I met kids like me who were also struggling to figure out who to be and how to feel safe again after getting their life blown up by loss. The Avow Kids counselors used music, art, movement, sharing circles and other activities to help us connect to our feelings. That’s one of the things I liked the most: if you didn’t feel like talking in a group session, there was another activity that could help you express what you felt.

After that first camp, I stayed involved with the Avow Kids program. I went to Avow’s Butterfly Release memorial service; I am also now one of the volunteers who help the Avow Kids professional staff run the Camp MendingHeart sessions. I think the kids appreciate that I’ve been through some of the difficulties and challenges they’re facing and that I know how lost and sad they feel. It makes me feel great to help other kids see that life can be happy again.

I often say the Avow Kids program helped me become who I am today. At 22 years old, I graduated from FGCU, got married, and have a full-time position working at a non-profit with foster children suffering from loss. I’m drawn to a profession focused on helping people – and that is the direct result of my having been guided through grief by Avow Kids. When you help a kid grow through loss, you help shape the adult that young person will become. I am very gratified to give back to the Avow Kids program through volunteering and testimonials like this one for all that Avow Kids has given to me.

Nick Gatian, Naples, Florida
Reprinted courtesy of AvowKids

About Avow: Avow was founded in 1983 as Collier County’s original nonprofit hospice. Today, Avow’s nonprofit companies provide palliative care consultations for adults who face chronic or severe illness, hospice care, and bereavement support services for children and adults. To learn more about the scope of services provided by Avow, call (239) 261-4404 or visit avowcares.org.

The post AvowKids Testimonials appeared first on SWFL Family.