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Cultural Council of Indian River County Summer Cultural Camp Children's Services Advisory Committee - Indian River County co PROGRAM DESCRIPTION (Entire Section C, 1 — 6, not to exceed two pages) 1 . List Priority Needs area addressed. Mental Wellness Issues Parental Support and Education Childcare Access 2. Briefly describe program activities including location of services. The main activities of this program are chosen to provide children and teens with tools to help them succeed to adulthood in a safe, healthy and productive manner. Instructors for these classes are commu ' artists that wmt to share their love of their craft with young people. Eligible children have an interest in the arts, participate in the free or reduced lunch, program a or�iave been referred to the program through the Student Support Specialist at their school. The Summer Cultural Camp is a team effort that focuses on a Grand Finale Production, where parents and guardians are invited to watch the results of their efforts . The production involves cooperation and discipline on each student' s part. 3. Briefly describe how your program intends to address the stated need/problem. Include reference to any studies or evidence that indicate proposed strategies are effective with target population. Mental Wellness is the most important focus of this program. A recent report issued to the Florida Senate from the Committee on Criminal Justice in December 2002, entitled "Review Effectiveness of Juvenile Programs that use a Visual and Performing Arts-Based Intervention Approach" summarized numerous studies that illustrate the positive impact these types of programs have . Arts programs, especially ones containing mentorship opportunities and relationships to the community, influence at-risk children toward The Arts and Prosocial Impact Study, Rand, 1999 ) Students who have been coni t n 1 involved in music and theatre exhibit higher levels of success in math and reading. (Secretary 's Commy. ission on Achieving Necessary Skills, U. S . Department of Labor, 1991 ) A lengthy national project that studied children form low income backgrounds found that those exposed to arts learning were more likely to be class officers, involved with math and science fairs and to be recognized with a writing award . (Community Counts: How Youth Organizations Matter for Youth Development), Shirley Brice Health, Milbrey W. McLaughlin, 2000 . Exposure to arts impacts the developmental growth of children and helps to equalize the learning curve that cuts across diverse socio-economic backgrounds . (UCLA Imagination Project, Americans for the Arts, 1998) By providing arts opportunities and choices at a young age, children become motivated and engaged in this health outlet for ex ression. 6