Highlighting the importance of the arts in every child’s education, Governor Jack Markell introduces Empowering Youth through the Arts, a series of videos that document outstanding arts programs being offered in arts organizations and cultural centers across the state.

“There is something unique about the creative arts process that empowers children to realize their potential in whatever they choose to pursue in life,” Governor Markell said. “Youth involvement in the arts stimulates, strengthens, and develops the imagination and critical thinking skills. The arts motivate and engage children in learning and help level the field for learning across socio-economic boundaries.”

Each of the programs featured in the videos is supported in part through Delaware Division of the Arts grants. These programs demonstrate the vital role that Delaware arts organizations and community centers play in providing arts experiences that complement and enhance what students receive during the school day.

To watch the other four videos, visit the Official YouTube Page for the State of Delaware at http://www.youtube.com/DelawareGovernment and select the “Empowering Youth through the Arts” playlist. Or click here to go directly to the playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCUOs10-0UsgVHugiFn3GbuF7KYqOfHDf

For more on the importance of arts in education, visit the Division’s arts education resources and links at: http://www.artsdel.org/ArtsEducation/aiepublications.shtml

Video: Christina Cultural Arts Center: Arts for All
Christina Cultural Arts Center Inc. (CCAC) is a premier community school of the arts with a mission to make affordable arts, education, multicultural, and live performance programs accessible to children, teens, and adults in a safe, family-centered environment. Programs encourage creative expression and lifelong learning; promote healthy lifestyles; build academic/social skills; support artists, and advocate for arts in schools representing lower socio-economic populations.

Video: El Centro Cultural: ¡Viva Arts!
El Centro Cultural partners with First State Community Action Agency’s La Casita after-school program to provide art education, art supplies, and bilingual teachers for a one-week summer arts camp to teach children about traditional music, dance, and art focusing on Mexico and Guatemala, and to prepare the students for presentations at Festival Hispano in Millsboro.

Video: Inner City Cultural League: Dancing and Dreaming
Founded in 1971 by Dover City Councilman Reuben Salters, The Inner City Cultural League, Inc. fulfills a need in the central Delaware community. The mission of the Inner City Cultural League, Inc. is to provide relevant cultural programs that will positively impact and improve the lives of less advantaged families–especially community youth–through the performing and visual arts that will awaken the genius within, ignite the human spirit, and create an awareness of the value of the arts in social, economic, and educational development.

Video: Rehoboth Art League: Have Art, Will Travel
In the early years of the Rehoboth Art League, founder Louise Chambers Corkran arranged for artists to work with disadvantaged children through the Children’s Beach House in Lewes. Today, in partnership with many organizations, the Rehoboth Art League sends artists throughout Sussex County to leverage the arts to enhance the quality of life for many. A special focus is working with children and elderly adults who do not have the resources to travel or take RAL classes. For many, this experience opens up a new world of opportunity for creative expression.

About March for the Arts in Education
Ten years ago, former Senator Dorinda A. Connor authored Senate Bill No. 116, designating the month of March as March for Arts in Education Month. Senator Conner envisioned a month devoted to celebrating arts education throughout the state–recognizing the critical role that the arts play in providing a well-rounded education for Delaware’s youth.

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