Just Like Me Summer Camp To Showcase Talents Of Foster Children

CLEARWATER, FL — The community is invited to cheer on teens in the local foster care system at the Just Like Me exhibition of talent Thursday night at Pinellas Technical College in Clearwater, starting at 6 p.m.

The show is the culmination of three weeks of interactive arts education, led by Family Support Services Pasco and Pinellas Counties and The Performers Academy. The arts camp is specially designed for young people ages 14 to 17 in out-of-home care and directed by working artists in different fields, including dance, theater, visual art, recording arts, singing/songwriting, lyricism and fashion design, all of which will be on display during the production Thursday night.

“Our mission is to share the arts with everybody, especially teens who may not otherwise be exposed to it. Just Like Me gives teens in care the chance to work together and share their stories, in their own terms,” said Kathryn McAvoy, executive director of The Performers Academy, which founded the camp in Jacksonville in partnership with FSS more than a decade ago and expanded to Pasco and Pinellas counties this summer.

“These kids have been carrying stories in them they feel they can’t share anywhere else, in any other way. Using the arts as therapy in a safe space allows them to learn new skills, create a bond and express themselves in ways they have never imagined before," McAvoy said.

Nyla Williams, Family Support Services director of youth well-being, said watching the teens transform over the course of the camp has been part of the joy of their experience, and the agency is already thinking about next year.

“We had 14 teens in this

year’s Just Like Me camp from Pasco and Pinellas counties, and that’s a great turnout, especially for a first-year program,” said Williams. “The more we see our kids learning and healing in the program, the more we hope to expand the camp to other disciplines and new experiences and bring the community together to support them as well.”

Thursday night, however, is all about honoring this first class and their talents.

“These teens are amazing,” said McAvoy. “You won’t believe the original material they have created in such a short period of time. I look forward to the community coming together to celebrate their accomplishments.”

The free showcase will take place at Pinellas Technical College, Building 10, 6100 154th Ave N., Clearwater, from 6 to 8 p.m. A light reception will follow the showcase.