Sara Mraish Demeter
Utilizing creativity and art, Sara Mraish Demeter aims to re-imagine education and youth development.
Sara Mraish Demeter is an artist, educator, mother of three, and founder and executive director of Art Resource Collaborative for Kids, a nonprofit delivering creative programs with social justice themes in Boston Public Schools since 2012. As an immigrant herself who has lived the experience of being a new arrival, she works to promote cross-cultural inclusion and understanding among Boston’s children. She is passionate about using art as a vehicle to reimagine education and unlock each child’s full potential.
With ARCK, she has forged many partnerships with schools, businesses, institutions, and artists to bring youth voices to the wider community through projects such as “I Am, We Are,” a collaborative public art mural, and “Walls that Speak,” a showcase of immigrant students’ stories. Internationally, during the summers of 2013-14, she led art workshops for Syrian refugee children in Jordan. Sara was named a 2016 EXTRAOrdinary Woman of Boston by Mayor Walsh’s Office of Women’s Advancement and selected for the Power Launch inaugural Social Change Fellows cohort.
She is an active member of the Beacon Hill Circle for Charity, which supports Boston children and women, and a former board member at the Center for Arabic Culture. She holds a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in French and completed the Nonprofit Management and Leadership program at Boston University.
In Her Own Words
What is your favorite quote?
“We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.” -James Baldwin (1924-1987)
Who is your favorite woman fundraiser or philanthropist of color?
Aixa Beauchamp
What inspired you to pursue a career in education and the promotion of equity in education through creative means?
The inequities in education I’ve personally faced, and the lack of access and opportunities I continue to see for young children led me to this work. In order to truly address the systemic issues in society, we must reimagine and reform education, using creativity and art to support students’ Social-Emotional and Relational Awareness through the lens of Social Justice and Equity.
Don’t be afraid to keep fighting for our shared human values to build a better society.
Where do you want to be in 3 years?
I want to see education democratized through a Crowd-Teaching model and platform. By training teachers in ARCK’s Arts with Impact framework, and matching teachers across disciplines and experience levels 1:1 to support each other and their students, we will be able to help all students realize their full potential to become creative and socially conscious individuals.
Do you have any small pieces of advice for women of color seeking further leadership roles in the non-profit sector?
Speak your voice! Don’t be afraid to keep fighting for our shared human values to build a better society.
