March 24–March 30, 2013
Young Audiences Arts for Learning is proud to announce The National Young Audiences Arts for Learning Week (Nat’l YA Week). Nat’l YA Week will celebrate the many contributions Young Audiences Arts for Learning has made to schools nationwide through its arts in education programs.
Update: Congresswoman Louise Slaughter has introduced a Resolution to the House of Representatives designating the week of March 24-31, 2013 as National Young Audiences Arts for Learning Week.
“This is an important moment in Young Audiences’ history because not only are we celebrating our 60th anniversary, but we are making great strides in advocating for arts in education through initiatives such as the National Young Audiences Arts for Learning Week” states David A. Dik, YA’s National Executive Director.
Nat’l YA Week will be observed around the country by 22 Young Audiences affiliates in 17 states with special events, school activities, long-term residencies and performances to promote awareness for YA’s arts in education programs. It is estimated that more than 30,000 students will be participating in a Young Audiences Arts for Learning program during this week. Highlights include smART stART workshops in the Smoke Rise Elementary School in Atlanta that focus on teaching early literacy skills to kindergarteners; YA New Jersey’s Beyond Recycling, a long-term residency program that teaches students how to live more sustainably; and a math mural workshop where participants will use geometry to create a large-scale image in Wichita, Kansas.
The Young Audiences Arts for Learning network will reach 5 million children in over 8,000 schools and community centers this year. It has developed and piloted numerous arts in education programs such as MetLife Learning for Life, the Immersive Game Design initiative and Arts for Learning Lessons (A4L). The MetLife Learning for Life program is an intensive, arts-integrated residency program that reaches middle school students at a critical moment in their academic lives. Immersive Game Design, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts is a new program where students tackle real-world issues through the design and creation of original digital games. Arts for Learning Lessons is a groundbreaking, supplemental educational program designed to improve students' literacy skills.
The participating Young Audiences affiliates are:
Arts for Learning, Connecticut
Arts for Learning, Indiana
Arts for Learning, Miami, Florida
Arts Partners, Wichita, Kansas
COMPAS, St. Paul, Minnesota
Gateway to the Arts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Kansas City Young Audiences, Missouri
Springboard, St Louis, Missouri
The Arts Council of Kern, Arts for Learning, Bakersfield, California
Think 360 Arts Complete Education, Denver, Colorado
Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania
Young Audiences New York, New York
Young Audiences of Houston, Texas
Young Audiences of Massachusetts
Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio
Young Audiences of Northeast Texas
Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington
Young Audiences of Rochester, New York
Young Audiences of San Diego, California
Young Audiences of Virginia
Young Audiences Western New York
Young Audiences, Woodruff Arts Center, Atlanta, Georgia
