Arts outreach organization ArtForceIowa has launched a new program called DSM Heroes. The program will provide a supportive arts-based community for refugee, immigrant and first-generation youth between the ages of 13 and 19 who are survivors of crime. DSM Heroes will have weekly after-school workshops exploring performance, fiber, visual and digital arts. The goal of DSM Heroes, which will enroll 75 youth in its first year, is to increase the quality of life and academic success for refugee and immigrant youth by creating a supportive arts-based community. The program is funded in part by the Iowa Attorney General’s Victim Support Services Program through funding from the Victim of Crime Act. “This program goes hand-in-hand with our interest and mission to transform youth in need through art,” DSM Heroes program manager Christine Her said.