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Cultural Council of Indian River County After School Arts Prograin Children's Services Advisory Committee - Indian River County PROPOSAL NARRATIVE A. ORGANIZATION CAPABILITY (Entire Section A not to exceed one page) 1 . Provide the mission statement and vision of your organization. The mission of the Cultural Council of Indian River County is to nurture a cooperative environment in which cultural and educational organizations and individuals may thrive and thereby, enrich the quality of life in Indian River County for all residents and visitors . The vision of the organization includes being an integral part of the community by being involved, cooperating and collaborating with all entities that desire arts instruction, appreciation, planning or opportunities . 2. Provide a brief summary of your organization including areas of expertise, accomplishments and population served . The Cultural Council of Indian River County has been the county' s designated Local Arts Agency since 1995 . This designation requires this organization to promote cultural opportunities for the community, support cultural organizations and individual artists . It also requires that the Cultural Council work with other entities that desire to include the arts in their programs . This organization' s area of expertise is in collecting and disseminating cultural information to anyone in the County that requests it . We provide technical assistance in finding resources, such as qualified art instructors and supplies . We also work with other organizations to provide cultural experiences that enhance their mission. This organization has done this for many years through an after-school program and a Summer Cultural Camp, both of which emphasize the arts . All of the children are on the free or reduced lunch program, where economic indicators are less than favorable for extras such as arts instruction or opportunities . Instructors serve as positive role models, while teaching skills that can serve as a coping mechanism, career choice or a meaningful activity. The after-school program has retained many students for several years, having started in elementary school, now they are in high school. These students volunteer their time to assist the younger students during the camp. The after-school program has served about 65 children per school year and the summer camp has served over 230 children and teens in any given year. The response from participants and parents has been overwhelmingly positive . However, the program is at a stage where it must evolve for two purposes : to expose more children and teens to the arts and to nurture those students that exhibit exceptional talent . Building on the accomplishments so far, the Cultural Council would like to put arts instruction in locations where children already go after school. We would like to share our experience and expertise with other organizations so they can enhance their programs and we can all enhance the children' s experiences in after school care . It has been demonstrated that learning a skill in the arts helps a child to learn discipline while achieving a goal . A child ' s elf esteem is enhanced when the skill is performed or displayed . 4