Photo credit: Maicol Diaz of Unique Photography and Design. Rudy Sablon is director of programs for The Motivational Edge, a nonprofit that uses the arts to inspire youth towards academic achievement, increased self-confidence and building essential life skills. Below, he writes about a lyrical expression and audio recording program, which is receiving $50,000 in new support from Knight Foundation. Most kids can’t wait for their summer and spring breaks; they’re itching to get out of school and into the world. But when that world lacks basic resources—such as food, shelter and safety—these breaks can be the scariest time of year. Research has shown that if at-risk teenagers are going to find trouble it will be in the hours after school, when they’re trying to find ways to occupy their time. In addition to delinquency, aggressive or violent behavior and substance abuse, teenagers living in low-income, diverse areas wrestle with the additional factors of living with families dealing with poverty, hunger and language and cultural barriers. In specific, the Allapattah region of Miami-Dade County has the sad distinction of having rates of crime and poverty that are higher than the community average. “A lot of these youth have nothing to do after school,” said CEO Ian Welsch, founder of The Motivational Edge, which uses the arts to promote high-quality instruction and learning for students in all disciplines. “Having meaningful, engaging activities are imperative in order to keep kids off the streets and safe.” Through many constructive programs and services offered by The Motivational Edge, a good number of those teens can have not only a safe haven when school’s out, but something meaningful to do once they get there. This spring break, March 24-28, The Motivational Edge will do just that by keeping their doors open for youths ages 5-18 in the Allapattah, Brownsville and Liberty City areas of Miami.