Welcome to Arts for ALL!
Did You Know…
● Charlotte-Area youth are experiencing crises of mental health[i] and upward mobility.
● Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among Americans ages 10-24.[ii]
● Since 1999, 8,830 children have been exposed to gun violence in NC schools.[iii]
● Only one in four NC students born into poverty will reach a middle- or upper-income level as adults.[iv]
● We know that involvement in the arts improves:
o Individual health
o Psychological well-being
o Skills, cultural capital, and creativity[v]
● At age 13, Louis Armstrong was sent to juvenile detention for shooting a gun. It was there, in 1913, that he was introduced to the coronet, and the rest is history.[vi]
● People who work in helping professions (teachers, nurses, etc.) are the least likely to engage in self-care, and the most at risk for self harm.
● According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, about 16% of teachers nationwide are forced to work a second job outside of the school system. In North Carolina, however, that number is closer to 25%, and leaps to 52% when you include those who work a second job within the school system to make ends meet.
● According to reports[vii] by the Foundation for the Carolinas, the mental health and upward mobility concerns our local students are facing can and should be addressed through teacher investment and arts education.
Arts for All is committed to addressing the greatest barriers to student success through investment in teachers, students, and our community.
Make Art – Here’s how we’re doing it!
Serving Teachers:
-Professional Development (Continuing Education Units)
-Enrichment Experiences
-Teacher’s Playwriting Festival – Labor Day Weekend
- Supply Drives
- Support Network
-Private Teacher Training (Certification Program)
Serving Students:
-Art Classes
-Private Lessons
-One-on-one Mentorship & Internships
-Scholarship Fund
-Performances
Serving our Community-
Summer Public Art Project:
“Senior Art Walk”
Accessible Performances
Service Projects
What We Need & How You Can Help!
Monthly Operating Needs:
$2600
Teacher Projects:
$50 covers the cost of one teacher to attend an Enrichment Experience with Continuing Education credit.
Students:
$100 covers one month of private music lessons/mentorship or one semester of one art/theatre class per student.
Community Projects:
$2,000 provides one semester long class, complete with art walk for 40 senior residents.
$3,000 covers production costs for a community theater project
Non-Cash donations:
We are collecting music instruments for repair & distribution to students each Fall.
We are collecting gift cards to chain retailers (Target, Wal-Mart, Starbucks, AC Moore, Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, etc.)
Volunteers: We always need help! Please call us for volunteer or internship-for-credit opportunities.
[i] Jonathan Scott, “NAVIGATING THE MAZE: An Assessment of Mental Health Resources for Children and Adolescents in Charlotte-Mecklenburg,” Foundation for the Carolinas, 2017.
[ii] Parent Resource Program, The Jason Foundation, 2016.
[iii] John Woodrow Cox, Steven Rich, Allyson Chiu, John Muyskens, and Monica Ulomanu, “More than 215,000 Students have Experienced Gun Violence Since 1999,” The Washington Post, May 25, 2018.
[iv] Jane Stancil, “Report Says Upward Mobility is Worse in NC than in US,” News & Observer, April 6, 2016.
[v] Joshua Guetzkow, “How the Arts Impact Communities: An Introduction to the Literature on Arts Impact Studies.” Taking the Measure of Culture Conference, Princeton University, June 7-8, 2002.
[vi] James Karst, “Our Times: The Louis Armstrong Arrest that no one Knew About,” The Times-Picayune, March 18, 2018.
[vii] Charlotte Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force, “Leading on Opportunity: The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force Report,” Foundation for the Carolinas, 2017.