We’re honored that the California Institute of the Arts has selected the AmeriCorps Impact Suite as its program management and measurement platform for the CAP Citizen Artist AmeriCorps Scholars and Fellows Program.
Last year, the Los Angeles Times analyzed data from the Los Angeles Unified School District and concluded that “arts programs at a vast majority of schools are inadequate.” Now, AmeriCorps has awarded CalArts Community Arts Partnership over $1 million to provide arts instruction to underserved youth in Los Angeles County. Helping to fill the arts education gap between high-and low-income neighborhoods, the CAP Citizen Artist AmeriCorps Scholars and Fellows Program will provide arts programs to schools across the region.
The CAP/AmeriCorps collaboration brings sophisticated and individually calibrated arts training to students, in grades 5 through 12, and mentors them in professional practices and college preparation. Youth participants study a range of disciplines including animation, creative writing, dance, film/video, music, theater, visual arts, photography and graphic design. Monthly family workshops will deepen the program’s engagement within communities.
Since its inception, CAP has pioneered new approaches to arts education and prepared teaching artists to be leaders and innovators in the field. Along with teaching and mentoring the program’s youth participants, The CAP/AmeriCorps fellows will be trained to teach in high-need urban contexts and work with educational mentors throughout their fellowships.
The California Institute of the Arts is one of two college-level arts institutions in the nation to receive AmeriCorps funding. The other, the Maryland Institute College of Art, has been using the Impact Suite since 2012.