Partners in Arts Participation
ACHF Arts Access
Perceived or real barriers to participation are addressed. Partnerships are developed between social service organizations and arts organizations to better serve underserved communities. Social or human service organizations use arts to help achieve their service goals.
Our audience for these performances has been Head Start enrolled children, ages 3-5, in rural northwest Minnesota. Typical barriers include lack of opportunity for child to attend theater presentation since typically the only performances are done by older school children. Also since HS families are lower income, funds for admission and associated costs are limited. By providing this service, we were able to overcome these barriers. We also wanted to reach children in ways that would enhance their learning and social skills. Teachers were surveyed after each performance on a 4 point scale and then one final survey. 93.3% of our teachers noticed improved social skills among students since CLIMB began visiting our classrooms. On a 4 point scale, the following were noted: educational value 3.93; student engagement 3.62; actor's portrayals 4.00; actor's management skills 3.87; overall value 3.93 2: 87% of parents had not brought their child to see a play before. With these presentations, this number dropped to 0% since the performances were part of each child's classroom activity.