(WASHINGTON, D.C.) Project Jericho, a collaborative program of Clark State Community College Performing Arts Center and Job and Family Services of Clark County that enables at-risk students to tap their own creativity to forge a path to productive lives, is being nationally recognized as one of 19 youth arts and humanities programs to receive the prestigious 2008 Coming Up Taller Award. Youth and adult representatives of the program in southwest Ohio will travel to Washington, D.C., for a November 14th ceremony, where they will accept the award.
Coming Up Taller is an initiative of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH). The President’s Committee partners with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to administer the program, which was founded in 1998.
The Coming Up Taller Awards recognize and support outstanding community arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of America’s young people, and provide them with new learning opportunities and a chance to contribute to their communities. The awards also highlight the contributions that historians, scholars, librarians and visual and performing artists make to families and communities by mentoring children. More than 350 nominations from 47 states were received by the program in 2008.
Created by Clark State’s Performing Arts Center and Job and Family Services of Clark County to address a community need, Project Jericho reaches underserved youth in a variety of settings, including Springfield, Ohio middle schools and the Juvenile Detention Center, and through its intensive Summer Arts Camp. The program utilizes several art forms, including creative writing, painting, drawing, photography, theatre, music and dance to foster positive social interactions among its participants, who are encouraged to apply the skills and discipline earned through the arts to their daily lives. Recognizing the role of healthy family dynamics in leading young people away from at-risk behaviors, Project Jericho also sponsors the Family Connections Program for clients of Job and Family Services of Clark County, through which young people and their families collaborate on art-based projects to strengthen bonds and improve communication. Bob Suver, Director of Job and Family Services of Clark County, says, “Project Jericho is one of the most successful of all contracts held by [Job and Family Services].”
“A lot of people think of the arts as only entertainment. Project Jericho shows that the arts can be used as a viable and positive way to change lives", says Scott Dawson, Director of Outreach and Education for the Clark State Community College Performing Arts Center. “Through Project Jericho, personally challenged youth and families are able to give and contribute to their community in lasting ways.”
“Arts and humanities activities have a wonderful way of enabling young people to discover their unique talents and interests as they forge a path to success in school and in life,” said Adair Margo, Chairman of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. “Project Jericho demonstrates the power of human potential for young people who receive nurturing guidance to create and perform works of art. The well-deserved sense of accomplishment they gain through their participation can translate directly to the smart decisions they’ll make in the future.”
The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities bridges the interests of federal agencies and the private sector, supports special projects that increase participation, and helps incorporate the humanities and the arts into White House objectives. The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Because democracy demands wisdom, the National Endowment for the Humanities serves and strengthens our Republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent federal grant making agency dedicated to creating and sustaining a nation of learners.
For more information please visit the following Web sites:
Project Jericho: www.project-jericho.com
Coming Up Taller: www.cominguptaller.org
President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities: www.pcah.gov
National Endowment for the Arts: www.arts.gov
National Endowment for the Humanities: www.neh.gov
Institute of Museum and Library Services: www.imls.gov
Media Contacts: Chris Beakey
Widmeyer Communications
202-667-0901
chris.beakey@widmeyer.com
Scott Dawson
Clark State Community College
937-328-7951
dawsons@clarkstate.edu
