Providence, Rhode Island, 10/26/09 - The Rhode Island Arts Learning Network proudly announces that the Dana Foundation has granted $50,000 to expand their arts advocacy community toolkit now in development with four pilot communities. The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropic organization with particular interests in brain research, immunology and arts education; funds will support digital storytelling by youth in the communities of Foster, East Greenwich, Woonsocket, and Tiverton. The digital stories created by young people will become an integral part of the community toolkits currently in development.
The purpose of the toolkits is to help the pilot communities educate the public about the value of the arts for all our children and youth. The toolkits will include local and national information on the benefits of arts education, and support local messaging within and across the communities. Research for the project started last spring with focus groups of arts and non-arts leaders in each of the pilot communities. Says RISCA Education Director, Sherilyn Brown, “National research exists to support the many benefits of arts education, in the school and the community. While our Rhode Island toolkit will include some of those resources, this project is also based on the ideas, words, and creative products of local communities and their young people.”
Rhode Island includes the arts as one of the six core subject areas for high school graduation, and in the Basic Education Plan for students K-8. “While the public overwhelmingly values the arts as important to the education of all students, there is still a struggle at budget time when the testing focus is on reading and math scores,” says Jeannine Chartier, Executive & Artistic Director of VSA arts of RI, a partner in the RI Arts Learning Network. “The Network is working for the day when all our Rhode Island children and youth have equal access to rich and challenging arts in their schools and communities.”
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