marylee bussard
05-12-2002, 10:51 PM
I work for a non-profit organization in Sarasota, FL (called SCOPE) that assimilates local research, facilitates community discussion, and promotes citizen-led planning for the development of our county. I have recently graduated from college, where I wrote my senior thesis on community arts, including the use of the arts to promote civic dialogue. One of the greatest challenges my organization faces is involving the participation of diverse citizens. I have been granted the opportunity to develop a program that would use the arts to expand participation in the SCOPE study process. I am looking for advice on how to get local funders and arts organizations excited about this project. Also, different approaches to getting this type of project off the ground. How to keep it affordable. Who might we hire as a trainer/facilitator in the first year? Experiences starting similar projects? Any thoughts at all would be very appreciated.
In a nutshell, here's the SCOPE study process and how the arts would be incorporated into it.
Each year SCOPE solicits ideas from the community for specific issues that need to be addressed. We get hundreds of ideas. From these, a citizen committee selects two issues for intensive study. This year (2002) the two issues are "Drop out Rates" and "Mental Health". This summer SCOPE staff will research these issues. In the fall, citizen study groups (one on each issue) will convene weekly for 4 months to listen to experts in the field, discuss the issues, and come up with recommendations. The result is two studies that don't just sit on the shelf, but are actually implemented through 2 task forces that work with local government and other local agencies.
The program I am developing would seek to engage those who are most directly affected by the issues being studied. (So, for example in the case of "Drop Out Rates", we would seek out youth who have dropped out or are considering dropping out of school. In the case of "Mental Health", we might seek out people who have experienced the mental health system as a patient, and have experienced the recycling pattern of homelessness, jails, and mental institutions.)
For each issue, a weekly arts class would be offered for individuals representing these target groups. (This would occur during the 4 months that the study groups are convening.) The arts class would focus on using artistic mediums to facilitate the documentation of personal experiences with the issue being studied. Participants would also gather stories from friends, relatives, or other acquaintances. These teams of citizen artists would then present their material to study groups and be consulted as experts on the topic.
Then, when the study reports are finally released, these community-based arts pieces would be presented around the county to coincide with the SCOPE study reports' release. Afterwards, discussion between the audience, the artists, and SCOPE staff would help to raise community awareness and broaden dialogue about these issues.
www.scopexcel.org
In a nutshell, here's the SCOPE study process and how the arts would be incorporated into it.
Each year SCOPE solicits ideas from the community for specific issues that need to be addressed. We get hundreds of ideas. From these, a citizen committee selects two issues for intensive study. This year (2002) the two issues are "Drop out Rates" and "Mental Health". This summer SCOPE staff will research these issues. In the fall, citizen study groups (one on each issue) will convene weekly for 4 months to listen to experts in the field, discuss the issues, and come up with recommendations. The result is two studies that don't just sit on the shelf, but are actually implemented through 2 task forces that work with local government and other local agencies.
The program I am developing would seek to engage those who are most directly affected by the issues being studied. (So, for example in the case of "Drop Out Rates", we would seek out youth who have dropped out or are considering dropping out of school. In the case of "Mental Health", we might seek out people who have experienced the mental health system as a patient, and have experienced the recycling pattern of homelessness, jails, and mental institutions.)
For each issue, a weekly arts class would be offered for individuals representing these target groups. (This would occur during the 4 months that the study groups are convening.) The arts class would focus on using artistic mediums to facilitate the documentation of personal experiences with the issue being studied. Participants would also gather stories from friends, relatives, or other acquaintances. These teams of citizen artists would then present their material to study groups and be consulted as experts on the topic.
Then, when the study reports are finally released, these community-based arts pieces would be presented around the county to coincide with the SCOPE study reports' release. Afterwards, discussion between the audience, the artists, and SCOPE staff would help to raise community awareness and broaden dialogue about these issues.
www.scopexcel.org