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FY 2003 Coming Up Taller Project Descriptions
UNITED STATES
CALIFORNIA
ARTSTARS
LACER Afterschool Programs: Literacy, Arts, Culture, Education, and Recreation
Hollywood, CA
In 1995, LACER Afterschool Programs: Literacy, Arts, Culture, Education, and
Recreation developed ARTSTARS, a five-day-a-week after-school arts education
program for middle-school youth. ARTSTARS provides instruction in dance, music,
theater, and visual arts in coordination with the core school subjects of
English, math, science, and social studies. In addition, LACER, the host
organization, provides homework assistance, tutoring support, and a
comprehensive literacy program, LINKUP, developed in partnership with the Los
Angeles Public Library. Independent evaluations find that ARTSTARS dramatically
improves children's attitudes toward school and their ability to set and realize
goals for themselves.
Will Power to Youth
Shakespeare Festival/LA
Los Angeles, CA
Will Power to Youth is the educational outreach program of the Shakespeare
Festival/LA, a non-profit theater organization. It provides artistic training,
employment, accredited academic enrichment, professional human relations
training, and life-skills experience to low-income youth, ages 14-21. Through a
partnership with the Archdiocesan Youth Employment Services and Los Angeles
Unified School District, among others, 30 youth participate in each seven-week
session. Guided by professional theater artists, these teens adapt, rehearse,
and present a play based on one of Shakespeare's texts. Special emphasis is
placed on exploring the language, themes, and literary values of the selected
play under the guidance of a dramaturge, a professional human relations
facilitator, and an accredited school district teacher. Other hours are devoted
to ensemble building, play production, and special seminars on movement, music,
and acting techniques. In addition to on-stage roles, students are involved in
set design and construction and costuming. At the end of each session, the
program culminates in a week of performances at Shakespeare Festival/LA's
permanent theater space. This program also offers participants the opportunity
to job shadow, tour colleges, receive tutoring, and develop job interview,
critical thinking, and test-taking skills.
Project YIELD
Museum of Children's Art
Oakland, CA
The Museum of Children's Art (MOCHA) operates on-site programs and hands-on
sequential learning experiences in the public schools and the community. Project
YIELD (Youth in Education and Leadership Development) is MOCHA's largest and
most comprehensive community program. Project YIELD provides after-school arts
education to 200 underserved children, ages 5-16. Local professional artists
teach classes in the literary, media, performing and public arts using a
curriculum that is linked to the academic school day and responsive to school
district learning standards, as well as to new and emerging curricula and
learning theories. These classes occur five days a week in three-hour sessions
during the school year at a school site as part of an extended-day program. In
addition, bookmaking, daily journal writing, drama, and story writing and
telling are required of students. Project YIELD has reduced school absenteeism
and improved reading and math testing scores among participants.
Saint Joseph Ballet
Santa Ana, CA
For 20 years, the Saint Joseph Ballet (SJB) has been helping youth develop
self-discipline and a sense of accomplishment through dance, academic and family
programs. This year-round program assists young people in transferring the
motivation and risk-management skills they gain through dance to other parts of
their lives. Forty-two dance classes are offered weekly for six levels of
proficiency. Summer recitals and professionally produced performances also are
part of the SJB experience. Students with a GPA lower than 3.0 are offered
on-site, one-on-one tutoring assistance from students at the University of
California, Irvine. Parents and students receive assistance with the college
admission and financial aid process, and all students enrolled throughout high
school with at least a cumulative grade-point average of 2.5 are awarded college
scholarships. The SJB also offers parent education seminars on health insurance,
personal finance, and parenting issues; crisis intervention and social service
referrals; and opportunities for family members to volunteer. Independent
evaluations note that SJB participants have more assets that are key to healthy
development than comparable students nationwide. Since 1998, all of SJB's
high-school seniors have graduated from high school, with 91 percent enrolling
in college.
ILLINOIS
Hard Cover
Community Television Network
Chicago, IL
Hard Cover is the nation's oldest youth-produced cable-access TV series. Through
Hard Cover, teens learn about the media arts and technical production, while
exploring current issues of importance and the diverse cultures of Chicago.
Based upon best practices in the fields of literacy, adolescent development,
learning theory relative to integrated arts instruction, and the specific fine
art of filmmaking, the curriculum guides youth through all phases of
constructing moving image media. Hard Cover producers tell stories and express
ideas by using original images, music, and writing; stylized lighting and
composition; and the juxtaposition of images. Each year, 26 broadcast programs
of 30 minutes each are produced by teens. Through the International Video
Letter, teens communicate with youth all over the world by creating and
exchanging videos on such issues as global education, literacy, cultural
studies, geography, and the media arts. Since the program began in 1986, youth
have produced more than 300 Hard Cover videotapes - the largest library of
independent youth-produced videos available in the country. The work is
broadcast to audiences numbering in the hundreds of thousands each year.
Marwen
Chicago, IL
Marwen provides the young people of Chicago with educational and cultural
opportunities in the visual arts as well as college planning and career
development support. Each year, free programs are available to more than 1,200
Chicago youth in grades 6-12 from more than 230 schools. The Marwen experience
includes a wide range of individual and collaborative work‹from beginning
drawing classes to advanced technology courses, college preparatory counseling,
and study trips to Maine and New York City. The program for students is made up
of three tracks: Studio Programs - a variety of tracks offered in four terms per
year that include instruction in ceramics, drawing, graphic arts, mixed media,
painting photography, sculpture, sound, and videography; College Planning - an
intensive two-week portfolio and college preparation course; and Career
Development - an initiative that combines instruction and experience both on-site
at Marwen and off-site at a variety of corporations and institutions across
Chicago. All courses and programs are taught by professional artist-teachers,
aided by alumni teaching assistants. In 2002, 93 percent of the students tracked
were attending college with 80 percent receiving merit or financial aid
scholarships.
Radio Arte WRTE 90.5 FM
Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum
Chicago, IL
Radio Arte WRTE 90.5 FM, an outreach initiative of the Mexican Fine Arts Center
Museum, is America's only Spanish-English, Latino-owned, youth-operated, 24-hour
community-broadcasting radio station, and serves the largest Mexican community
in the Midwest. Annually 120 students, ages 15-21, are trained in radio
production and broadcast. In addition, they design and format the station's
programming, which includes everything from PSA's to informative programs. The
two-year program consists of three phases: an intensive, six-month Federal
Communications Commission course in broadcasting theory that includes creative
writing and voice training; a six-month, hands-on training course with technical
equipment, that includes editing and studio production; and an on-air program
designed, developed, and maintained by participants in their final year.
Throughout training, students work directly with professional broadcasters in
radio, television, and print, giving them direct access to journalists from
leading Chicago media outlets. After successful completion of this program,
participants are encouraged to find related radio internships in the Chicago
area. In April 2002, Radio Arte received two Excellence in Production awards
from the National Federation for Community Broadcasting.
MASSACHUSETTS
Youth Guide Development Program
Multicultural Youth Tour of What's Now
Boston, MA
The Multicultural Youth Tour of What's Now (MYTOWN) puts history at the center
of its work with young people. Each year, MYTOWN employs 40 Youth Guides who
research, write, and lead walking tours of city neighborhoods. Residents share
their stories of immigration and migration, activism, and service - often not
documented anywhere else - with Youth Guides who develop and lead historical
walking tours, and who present slide shows based on local history for Boston
residents and visitors. Youth Guides begin their work by learning more about
their own heritage. Researching the stories of how their families came to Boston
helps local teens find a connection to the city. Also as part of the MYTOWN
process, community forums are held to identify potential tour stops; and
speakers from businesses and area universities and institutions, such as the
Boston Public Library, discuss the importance of local history and their own
community-focused careers. Guest trainers, including prominent public
historians, show youth how to conduct library research, create stories based on
verified facts, and develop and edit history scripts. Recently, 100 percent of
the Youth Guides reported that MYTOWN taught them local and national history
that they had not learned in school or elsewhere. Sixty percent said that MYTOWN
"challenged their negative perception of their neighborhoods by helping them
understand and identify local community assets." MYTOWN's curriculum was
selected as an official learning curriculum for out-of-school programs supported
by the City of Boston.
Project Image, Teen Images, and The Place Where I Live
Boston Photo Collaborative, Inc.
Jamaica Plain, MA
The Boston Photo Collaborative brings the art of photography to urban youth and
senior citizens from economically-challenged Boston neighborhoods. Core programs
for youth include Project Image - a seven-week long intensive summer employment
program; Teen Images‹a year-round, teen-run and operated photography business
whose clients are mainly other non-profits; and The Place Where I Live‹ an
after-school and weekend program for housing development residents, ages 11-14,
that focuses on documentary photography. In addition to honing their
photography skills, participants also learn business and computer skills,
including Web site design and digital imaging, as well as how to interact with
people on a professional level and follow through on assignments.
MISSOURI
AileyCamp
Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey
Kansas City, MO
Professional dancer Alvin Ailey believed dance could help young people discover
their potential, ignite their creative possibilities, and light the way in their
lives. Eighteen years ago, in response to Mr. Ailey's vision, the Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater of New York City created a second home in Kansas City and
started AileyCamp, an intensive six-week program of training by top dance
instructors, visual artists, counselors, and social workers for middle-school
children. Mostly coming from fragile families and troubled communities, campers
are provided experiences that develop creative expression, critical thinking
skills, academic motivation, and the desire to make healthy lifestyle choices.
In addition to classes in modern dance, jazz, ballet, and tap, these 11-14
year-olds also build their creative communication skills through storytelling
and creative writing, percussion, and sculpture. They participate in field
trips, sometimes with their families, and attend classes in personal development
around such issues as conflict resolution, health, and nutrition. Every camper
receives a full-tuition scholarship, uniforms, meals, and transportation
services free of charge.
Pre-Professional Dance Program
COCA-Center of Creative Arts
St. Louis, MO
COCACenter of Creative Arts is the largest multidisciplinary arts institution
in the St. Louis region. In addition to producing and presenting performances
and exhibitions, COCA provides educational programming to thousands of young
people. The Pre-Professional Dance Program, one of its arts learning
initiatives, focuses on urban communities and supports the growth of
artistically talented students who live in high poverty areas. This long-term,
comprehensive program for youth, ages 8-18, encourages healthy child development
through dance by teaching the rewards of discipline and hard work and by giving
young people the opportunity to experience the joy and elation of performing
dance. Participants gain a basic foundation in ballet, jazz, modern, and tap
dance and are encouraged to read about dance, attend performances of
professional companies, and participate in seminars about dance-related health
issues such as nutrition and injury prevention. In addition to dance
instruction, the program offers counseling for families, transportation,
academic tutoring, and application assistance to summer and post-secondary
institutions. Graduates of the program have gone on to attend The Juilliard
School, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Houston Ballet, and Ballet Hispanico, among
others.
MONTANA
Orphan Girl Theatre
Butte Center for the Performing Arts
Butte, MT
The Butte Center for the Performing Arts engages persons of all ages through the
medium of live theatre. Two theatres are located in the Butte Center: The Mother
Lode and The Orphan Girl, a 106-seat facility. These theatres serve not only the
Butte community, but outlying areas as well. The Orphan Girl Theatre operates
year round with after-school and summer programs for children ages 518. In
addition to preparing and presenting musical productions, young people write and
produce melodramas set in turn-of-the-century Butte. These original, one-act
historical comedies are researched at the Butte Archives, libraries, the Mining
Museum, and the Montana Tech campus by the student actors who receive
scholarships to participate in the program. Through this research, the students
develop a better understanding of history, enhance their ability to conduct
historical research, and increase their appreciation of the popular literature
from past decades. Children also serve as the theater's directors, producers,
stage managers, lighting and sound technicians, costume designers, and
concessionaires for each performance.
NEW YORK
Life Lines Community Arts Project
Center for Family Life
St. Christopher-Ottilie, Inc.
Brooklyn, NY
A program component of a family-focused, neighborhood-based social services
agency, Life Lines Community Arts Project is a free, year-round program that
brings together education, the arts, and social services. Based at a public
middle-school, Life Lines offers a daily after-school program and summer arts
camp, which provide instruction in acting, creative writing, dance, percussion,
photography, visual arts, and vocals, along with daily homework assistance,
computer access, and academic enrichment opportunities. Traveling theater and
dance troupes offer advanced instruction with leadership training opportunities.
Students volunteer as staff assistants in various arts activities at the host
organization through the High School Internship and Mentoring Program. Annual
productions include a children's theater production; a musical based on
literature selected from the middle-school reading list; and a musical that
celebrates the Spanish and English spoken stories of the Sunset Park
neighborhood of Brooklyn. The productions, based on literature such as Madeleine
L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time or Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth, heighten
interest in reading and enhance literacy skills. Life Lines stresses parent
involvement through a parent advisory council, joint parent-child classes,
family cultural outings, and parent volunteer opportunities.
SWAT Team, Celebration Team, and Summer Institute
National Dance Institute, Inc.
New York, NY
The National Dance Institute (NDI) was created in 1976 by Jacques d'Amboise, a
former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, to introduce children to
the arts through a combination of in-school, weekend, and summer programs.
Today, NDI partners with 20 public schools offering in-school dance and visual
arts programs to entire 4th, 5th, and/or 6th grade classes. The most motivated
children extend their experience through advanced weekend and summer programs.
The SWAT Team invites 100 dancers from the in-school programs to receive
advanced dance instruction for five hours on Saturdays during the school year.
Children who demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to NDI training are invited
to join the most advanced performance troupe: the Celebration Team. These 80
young people spend each Saturday learning choreography and preparing for public
performances, including a Tribute to the World Trade Center Victims in New York.
Through the Summer Institute, children, who are chosen for their commitment as
well as talent in dance, explore ballet, ethnic dance, jazz, music, tap, and
theater for six hours a day, five days a week during the month of July. After
graduating from the advanced weekend and summer programs, many alumni become
dance and arts teachers, mentors, and leaders in their communities. This highly
successful program has served as a model for similar, independent programs in
California, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Virginia, and
Washington, DC.
NORTH CAROLINA
Community Music School, Inc.
Raleigh, NC
In operation since 1994, the Community Music School (CMS) makes quality music
instruction available to low-income youth. Children between the ages of six and
18 receive individualized instruction from area professionals in most orchestral
instruments, piano, and guitar in half-hour lessons that cost only one dollar.
The school also provides and repairs instruments free-of-charge, as needed. The
progress of students is evaluated through a jury process and recitals. CMS also
runs a two-week summer music camp on the campus of St. Augustine's College, a
historically black college, which offers classes in music history and music
theory and the opportunity to sing in a chorus.
PENNSYLVANIA
ACES - Achievement Through Community Service, Education, and Skill Building
Please Touch Museum
Philadelphia, PA
Achievement through Community Service, Education, and Skill Building (ACES) is
the Please Touch Museum's work-based learning, enrichment, and mentoring program
for teenagers from four of Philadelphia's public high schools. ACES provides 25
students with learning opportunities throughout the museum, including working
with designers on museum exhibits, helping with the accession of collection
objects, and assisting with the design of collections related programs. Students
spend one full school day per week, plus many after-school and weekend hours, at
the museum. All individual and group projects and activities are developed
according to school district standards, so that students may receive school
credit for their work. In addition to having experiential learning opportunities
in the arts, sciences, and humanities, students explore new career options,
develop important work skills, expand their understanding of current events, and
participate in innovative and challenging trips to museums, historical sites,
colleges, and other points of interest.
MEXICO
TAMAULIPAS
MEDED-Chimalli Choirs,
Tamaulipas Institute for Culture and the Arts
Ciudad Victoria
In Ciudad Victoria, the capital city of the state of Tamaulipas, two agencies
have formed a partnership to bring music to children: the Tamaulipas Institute
for Culture and the Arts, an agency of the State Ministry of Education, and the
System for Integrated Family Development‹Tamaulipas, a state agency that
protects and supports families. The partnership has created 14 children's
choirs, of 3040 children each, in outlying communities. Music teachers from the
local public schools are trained to conduct these choirs in a repertoire of
classical and contemporary music. Selected by audition for basic vocal ability,
children rehearse 3-5 hours a week to prepare for performances at local
festivals, anniversaries, and civic events. Children with a special interest and
ability in music can participate on scholarship in a three-year, month-long,
summer residential program at The Las Rosas Conservatory in Morelia, Michoacan,
where youth from throughout Mexico spend 6-8 hours a day studying voice, piano,
and the history of music. Currently, 19 children from the 14 choirs attend the
Conservatory and participate in national and international festivals. Through
the dual agency partnership, children in the choirs and their families also
receive general financial and food support, plus health care.
OAXACA
Community Workshops in the Eight Regions of Our State
Rufino Tamayo Plastic Arts Workshop, Oaxaca Culture Institute
Oaxaca City
Rufino Tamayo is a well-known, Latin American visual artist. In addition to his
legacy of creative work is a school of art in Oaxaca, Mexico, that bears his
name, the Rufino Tamayo Plastic Arts Workshop. To support and celebrate the arts
and crafts in surrounding regions, the school established visual arts workshops
for young people. Since 1997, the program known as Community Workshops in the
Eight Regions of Our State has enabled 30-40 young people in each of the eight
surrounding communities to receive free lessons in painting and drawing for 20
consecutive days, two to three times per year. At the conclusion of each
session, these young artists' creations are featured in an exhibition for their
community. While the Tamayo Plastic Arts Workshop shapes the creative content of
the sessions, local public cultural and municipal authorities organize and
advertise them. These workshops are especially valuable since the schools in
these regions offer little arts instruction.
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