Creative Kids
The Creative Kids Program brings professional theater training to schools in underserved communities throughout Metro Atlanta at no cost to schools or students thanks to our generous donors.
This year, we’re serving more schools and students!
The Impact:
Creative Kids is Out of Hand Impact’s educational program for children. We offer free, year-long, in-school and after-school theater classes for students in under-resourced schools in Metro Atlanta.
Over 90% of Creative Kids students are economically disadvantaged. 96% of students improved in communication, collaboration, creativity, and confidence, based on pre-and post-program teacher assessments.
58% showed more than 50% growth—proof of the deep, lasting impact that sustained, high-quality arts engagement can have.
In the 2025-26 school year, we served:
591 Students
656 Classes
Across 9 Schools including:
The Ansley School
Barack and Michelle Obama Academy
Benteen Elementary School
Burgess-Peterson Academy
Boyd Elementary School
Continental Colony Elementary
Hope Hill Elementary
Peace Preparatory Academy
Perkerson Elementary School
Arts N Action Summer Camp
Arts N Action was created in 2026 to fill a gap in accessible summer arts programming while empowering students to become leaders through visual and performing arts.
Centered around the question, “how can my creations change the world?”, the two-week pilot program encouraged students to use creativity as a tool for self-expression, advocacy, collaboration, and community building.
When asked what their favorite part of camp was, one parent responded:
“Everything, but mostly watching my child be creative and smiling every day.”
Closing the Gap
The City of Atlanta faces one of the nation’s largest economic gaps, which means the opportunity gaps for students born into high poverty and under-resourced neighborhoods are huge compared to an average middle-class Atlantan. Out of Hand is working to close those gaps through art.
Through free training classes, we teach confidence, as well as communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving skills that will serve our students at home, in the classroom, and beyond. According to a study from the National Endowment of the Arts, students in high-poverty communities that have arts-rich experiences are five times more likely to graduate from high school and three times more likely to receive a B.A. than their peers without access to the arts. Even in communities with less access to the arts.
Out of Hand is committed to providing high-quality arts education at no cost to the students or school, but we can only do that through generous support from grants and individual donors. If you would like to support this work, we hope you will consider sponsoring a student, teacher, or school.
2025 Teaching Artists
Gem Marc Collins, (aka Marc Collins) is an actor who was born to Garton Collins and Hesbon Collins on January 10th, 2001 in Snellville, Georgia. The first striking thing that anyone will see with Gem is his contagious smile followed by his infectious attitude toward life. From jumping on the church stage to dance with the choir at the age of 4 to being a young man thriving in the Atlanta Area, Gem has kept true to his name by...well keeping true to his name, being a Gem wherever he goes. He has kept God first always and stayed true to his core values of treating people with love first before judgment. Gem studied Acting at Oxford University in the United Kingdom through the Study Abroad Program at Oglethorpe University and definitely left his 'Marc' across the pond. While there, he was admitted into the Oxford School of Drama for acting, and was able to showcase his talent at an Open Mic event at the Oxford University. Coming back to his home university, Gem has been the Class President for three years, and has continued to encourage students to pursue their dreams not only after college but during college as well. Gem Marc Collins attends Oglethorpe University with a Full Tuition Theatre Scholarship in Atlanta, Georgia.
Marc Collins - Continental Colony Elementary School & Perkerson Elementary School
John Edward Doyle Jr. is a Storyteller, Actor and Teaching Artist. He is the founder of Arts Education Integration Agency LLC, a company that integrates creative arts into the educational setting. John’s passion is in arts and education, and he has had the great opportunity to blend those two in his career. John also created programming for Kaiser Permanente creating the Male Empowerment Workshop for middle school boys. He is a current performer with Teaching Museum, Georgia Ensemble Theater Arts in Education, Tattle Tales Productions, and his own company Arts Education Integration Agency.
John Doyle -
Hope Hill Elementary & International Community School
Zaria has been studying acting for over 6 years. As a student at Georgia State University, she's studying acting and education. She has performed around Metro Atlanta for Out of Hand Theater and various other productions. Zaria has had a plethora of training from many successful actors around the world. She hopes to inspire students through the arts as many have done for her.
Zaria Flanigan -
Barack & Michelle Obama Academy & Peace Preparatory Academy
Teacher Sponsors
Theresa and Judson Stowe
Karen Paty
Kathy Waller
Stefani Ingram Fund