FAQs - SAY Sí

What is SAY Sí?

SAY Sí [San Antonio Youth Yes] is a year-round, long-term, tuition-free arts program for high school and middle school students in San Antonio.

What does SAY Sí do?

We work with talented youth interested in making and selling their artwork and learning more about the business side of the arts. We also serve the community with our arts outreach program.

What Programs do you offer?

VA [Visual Arts], the high school visual arts program where students study drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, art history and create commission artwork. MAS [Media Arts Studio], the high school media arts program where students learn filmmaking and photography. The ALAS [Activating Leadership Art & Service] Youth Theatre Company, a youth theatre program serving middle and high school students that develops leadership and creativity skills through a unique approach to performance. The HIVE [Home for Innovation & Video Ecology] New Media Studio, where students produce digital and tech-based work, tie visual art and narrative together, consider interactivity as a feature of art, and explore new art forms.

WAM [Working Artists & Mentors], the middle school visual & media arts program taught by trained instructors and student mentors.

ABC [Artists Building Communities], where trained alumni facilitate weekly art workshops for children served by community organizations and school districts.

Where are you located?

SAY Sí is proud to say we have officially relocated to the West Side! You can find us at 1310 S Brazos St, San Antonio, TX, 78207. We are located right past the Alazan Courts and Apache Creek.

How do I join?

Please go our How to Join page to find the rules and requirements for joining the program.

I’m not attending school or I have just recently graduated; can I be in the program?

No, you must be attending school or be a SAY Sí graduate to participate in the program.

How much does it cost to join?

SAY Sí is free, but students must meet certain requirements, check our How to Join page for information.

Where does your money come from?

SAY Sí is a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization and the majority of our budget comes from donations and grants from foundations, corporations and individuals, with some coming from special events.

How long has SAY Sí been in existence?

We opened our doors in 1994.

Where do your students come from?

We have students from every part of the city and from every council district, but the majority come from the urban area of San Antonio, and districts 1, 7, 2 and 5.

Click HERE to learn more about our fiscal and organizational history.

How has SAY Sí responded to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Since March 2020, when students could not return to school or in-person programming, our staff worked brilliantly to continue to provide virtual creative learning and to also focus on our strengths with trauma-informed care.

This has included weekly Zoom studio sessions and a shift in SAY Sí events, with our first virtual showcase of student work in July and more planned throughout the fall.

We also redesigned our home page to strengthen our reach beyond our core students. We designed ABC Art Studio Anywhere, an Online Makerspace that provides free arts and community resources to everyone.

Additionally, we have hosted regular art supply pick-ups for the community in an ongoing effort to get creative resources in the hands of San Antonio youth.

You can find full details and additional information on our community updates page at: https://saysi.org/community-update/