Thrive design camp to teach art and career skills in Helena

Thrive’s Design Camp opened Monday at 415 Ohio Street in Helena, bringing a week of art and design instruction into the heart of Historic Downtown Helena. The camp was scheduled for June 8-12, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day at the Thrive Center, 415 Ohio Street, Helena, Arkansas 72342.

Led by students and staff from the University of Arkansas, the workshop was aimed at young people interested in visual art and design. Thrive said the camp was meant to be fun, but it was also designed to help participants discover creative career paths and build practical skills they can use beyond the classroom.

The camp fit into Thrive’s larger Creative Leadership Youth Program, which trains area high school and community college students in art, design, entrepreneurship and life skills. Thrive says participants gain job-transferable skills, access to paid internships and exposure to creative industry career paths. The organization’s workshops have included graphic design, web design, photography and land art, and students have helped produce public art and community improvements in Phillips County.

That matters in Helena because Thrive has built its work around keeping creative training local. The organization says it has been rooted in Helena since 2009, and its 6,000-square-foot Thrive Center at 415 Ohio Street includes a wood shop, paint shop, computer lab with graphic design software, audio/visual equipment, VR/AR equipment and a 3-D printer. The space is not just a classroom. It is also the base for programs that connect youth development, design work and downtown placemaking.

Thrive says every dollar spent on its branding services is matched to support local after-school programs, tying its commercial work directly to youth programming. The organization has also linked its community work to larger development efforts, including Helena Adventure Trails, which it describes as a 2021 quality-of-life and tourism initiative meant to create new economic opportunities.

For Phillips County, Design Camp is part of a broader pitch that creativity can be a local asset, not a reason to leave. By putting University of Arkansas mentors, studio tools and career-focused training at 415 Ohio Street, Thrive is using downtown Helena as a place where young people can learn skills, build portfolios and see a path to work at home.