Foundation for Proposal
The Villa Park Rotary Club has always striven to advance the cause of Rotary in its local communities of Villa Park and the City of Orange. One of the most effective ways of doing this is to choose projects which not only follow one of the five avenues of service, but a project which will have the greatest impact.
This year, with the opening of the new Youth Centers of Orange, the Villa Park Rotary was inspired to lead a project, along with the Orange North Rotary, to make a real impact on the youth in the community. This project would focus on the Community Service as well as Youth Service "Avenues of Service" and therefore ensures the most impactful use of the Rotary's time and resources. Changing a young person's life - that's "Service above one's self" in action.
Project Title:
The Rotary Positive Self-Expression Arts Project
Goal
To create a comprehensive Arts Program at the Youth Centers of Orange which will give the youth of our community ample opportunity to use the arts a means of positive self-expression. This will foster a lifelong skill which will positively influence our youth for the rest of their lives.
Background
In April of 2018, the Youth Centers of Orange opened under the direction of Mr. Tony Tripp. Mr. Tripp is a 15-year veteran in the youth development movement and is known for his creative approach of nurturing good character in youth through the Arts. While in his previous role as Director of Operations and Programs for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor, Mr. Tripp developed the "Arts Academy." This nationally recognized program used the arts to assist in character education and helped to build self-confidence and provided a positive outlet for self-expression.
Upon learning of Mr. Tripp's expertise, the Villa Park Rotary Club wanted to assist in bring such life-enhancing programs to the more under-served members of our community. Currently, the Youth Centers of Orange has 180 enrolled members ranging in age from 6 - 18. 87% of the children who are enrolled in the Youth Center are classified as "low-income." Statistically speaking, lower-income communities have very limited access to arts opportunities, with affordability being the largest hurdle for most families. Because of this, these communities rarely get to benefit from the fruits of an arts education.
PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) provides several resources, both on its website (PBS.org) and within its programming, which explain the plethora of benefits of an arts education. In addition to the obvious development of motor skills and the learning of the arts themselves, there are several other impacts which makes the arts an essential part of the human experience. One of them is positive self-expression. Today's news headlines are filled with children expressing themselves in negative manners. Some who make poor choices using technology and social media, while some carryout their emotions by harming their peers. When we take an honest look at our education system we realize the emphasis is placed on retaining information. Many of our young-people are never really given the opportunity to learn how to express their emotions in a positive manner. Imagine a misguided teen expressing his/her self through a piece of art rather than in a violent manner - suddenly the need for the arts becomes all too clear.
"The Rotary Positive Self-Expression Arts Project" will emulate the successful "Arts Academy" program by providing project-based learning opportunities in three specific Arts genres - Music (Early Classical Guitar & Recorder), Fine Arts (Drawing & Painting), and Digital Arts (Digital Photography and Video Production for the web.)
About project-based learning:
For those who may not be familiar with this model, project-based learning can be thought of as "on the job training," or "immersive learning." The children learn by doing. For example, in a traditional video production class, students spend weeks learning terms and studying examples of work by professionals. Many teachers have a "hands-off" rule until they are satisfied with the student's retention of the material. In project-based learning, however, children are filming from day one. They learn everything by completing projects such as filming an interview or rating a restaurant. Kids are assigned tasks/ roles and they work as a team to get the job done. This learning model fosters social and emotional learning while allowing kids to expressive themselves to adults and their peers in a more effective manner.
The first project session will begin September of 2018 and will conclude in December 2018 with an arts showcase - a public event showcasing the art the children created over the past semester. Rotarians will be engaged in the program in several ways:
- As project volunteers (if they have applicable arts experience)
- As constructive critics (Everyone's a critic)
- As interviewees
- As models for photos or fine art pieces
- To assist with the arts showcase
All the equipment purchased for the program will be used in future implementations of the program and therefore will have an impact on hundreds of children in the local community for the next 3 - 5 years.
Proposal
To sponsor a Community Service grant which will be used to purchase all the equipment needed to start a comprehensive arts program at the Youth Centers of Orange. The program will foster an opportunity for positive self-expression through the Arts for under-served youth.
Before the program begins, the youth center will coordinate a kick-off event and will bring attention to the grant and the Rotary partnership. The event will be in mid-August at the youth center and serve as an overall kick off to the new school year. The Mayor and the City Council will be invited (from both Orange and Villa Park) as well as the media. During the event, representatives from both Orange North and Villa Park Rotaries will be in attendance and will provide a large novelty check to signify the donation. Since the Arts program will be the first official program sponsorship for the Youth Center, it will really create a huge impact and will be one of the highlights of the event.
Once the arts program has started, Rotarians will be encouraged to assist with its ongoing success. This includes financial support as well as volunteer support. The Youth Centers of Orange will provide the staff and space needed to run the program, while the Rotary provides the equipment. Other than the first initial start-up purchase, only the fine arts supplies will need to be replenished as they are used by children to create their masterpieces.
Mr. Tripp, the Executive Director of the Youth Centers of Orange has visited the Villa Park Club several times and is the President-Elect for the Orange North Rotary Club.
Cost(s)
Music Equipment:
1. Eight String Tenor Ukulele's with Cases (5 @ $119.99 Each) $599.95
2. Ukulele Straps (5 @ $18.95) $94.75
3. Ukulele Strap pegs (10 pack) $6.99
4. Ukulele Strings (6 packs @ $12.62) $75.72
5. Snark Clip on Tuner (6 @ $11.01) $66.06
6. Aulos Tenor Recorder (4 @ $52.60) $210.40
7. Aulos Bass Recorder (2 @ $378.24) $756.48
Fine Arts Supplies:
8. US Art Supply Paint kit (30 @ $39.96) $1,198.80
9. Prismacolor Drawing Set (30 @ $14.85) $445.50
10. Prisma Color Pastel Set (30 @ $8.23) $24.69
11. Strathmore Mixed Media Drawing Pad (30 @ $9.40) $282
12. HP Stream refurbished laptops (12 @ $163.99) $1,967.88
Digital Arts Equipment
13. Sony a3000 refurbished mirror-less Digital Camera (3 @ $239.00) $717
14. Sandisk 32 GB High Speed memory Card (6 @ $17.00) $102
15. Zoom H1 portable audio recorder kit $167.99
16. Orion Field Tripod (3 @ $79.99) $239.97
17. HP Zbook 14 Workstation Refurbished Laptop (3 @ $298.99) $896.97
All Equipment will be purchased from Amazon.com
Total for supplies: $7,257.39
Tax (8%): $580.60
Shipping: Free
2% Contingency for prices fluctuation or substitutions - $157.77
Project Total: $7995.76
Funds from VPRC - $2,000
Funds from matching grant from VPRC - $2,000
Funds from ONRC - $2000
Funds from matching grant from ONRC - $1,995.76
Total Funds: $7995.76
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