Roaring Youth Jam 2022 set for this weekend - East Idaho News
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Roaring Youth Jam 2022 set for this weekend

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IDAHO FALLS — The Idaho Falls Greenbelt River Walk will transform into a land of fairies and fantasy when the Roaring Youth Jam 2022 comes to town.

A festival intended to spark the creativity of local kids and teenagers, Youth Jam is three days of art projects, music, food and imagination. It’s a free event featuring a variety of artistic mediums and fun activities for youth of all ages.

Brought to you by the staff at the Artitorium on Broadway and sponsored by a host of local businesses including Teton Volkswagen, Youth Jam is a chance for kids of all ages to learn skills and develop talents that can provide enrichment throughout their lives.

“(Youth Jam) gives kids the opportunity to be creative, and do a bunch of different art projects,” said Georgina Goodlander, who is overseeing the event. “Then, to help parents out, we provide all the art supplies and clean up the mess.”

There will be plenty for individual artists to do at Youth Jam but the festival will also feature a community art project that fits in with this year’s theme.

“This year, we are painting and building a giant castle,” said Goodlander. “We’re also going to have a lot of different hidden things. Our theme is ‘Fairytales & Fantasy’ and everyone on the team got really excited about that. So every time you turn a corner, you might find a fairy house or there might be some giant googly eyes or a hidden fairy door. We’ve got some dragons that will be flying through the tree branches. There’s a lot of stuff to look for and find this year.”

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Adam Forsgren, EastIdahoNews.com

Youth Jam also serves as a venue for young performers to get experience playing in front of a live audience. You can click here for a schedule of the musical and dance performances.

“At that Green Belt Stage down there on the River Walk, we’re having youth performances all day, every day,” Goodlander said. “We have a bunch of different local musicians and dancers. We’ve got the Stasia Acrobats coming out for two days and they’re a really popular act. On the hour, every hour there will be a different performance on the stage.”

The festival also includes a scavenger hunt this year, which promises to be a fun way to keep kids engaged.

“Kid can check in at either the info tent or one of the Teton Volkwagen booths,” said Goodlander. “They have to find all the little trolls that are hidden around Youth Jam. Then, when you’ve found eight of them, they can get a sticker and be entered into our raffle.”

Goodlander said that one of the overarching goals of Youth Jam is to give kids an opportunity to pick up skills and discover new ways of expressing themselves that can impact them throughout their lives.

“I think with Youth Jam, and this is also a major goal at the Artitorium, we’re trying to build kids’ confidence with making art,” she said. “We don’t want them to get older, then suddenly declare that they can’t do it anymore or that they’re no good at it because we don’t believe that’s true. So, it really is about giving them the opportunity to try different things and be creative and, hopefully, gain confidence.”

The Idaho Falls Art Council’s Roaring Youth Jam 2022 is happening this Thursday, Aug. 11, Friday, Aug. 12 and Saturday, Aug. 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

You can also visit the Artitorium on Broadway website for a Youth Jam schedule and more information and to learn how to foster your children’s creativity all year long.

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