addam c. medina foundation
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
The Body Shop
Kenmin Industries
Mr. & Mrs. Carl Tipton
Veridian Bank, Des Moines, IA
Larry Marshall Farm Bureau, Dexter NM
Christ Episcopal Church, Cedar Rapids, IA
Dan and Melody Rockwell
Winston and Carole Bumpus
Chris and Jo Johannson
Megan Orine Campbell
MetaBank
Plymouth Congregational Church
United Church of Christ-Justice and Witness Ministries
Barnes & Noble
Bella Soul
Lynn Miller
Leisha Barcus
Jennifer Hahn
Nationwide Information Technology Service Desk
Program Target Market · Polk County Iowa - Highland Park/Oak Park Neighborhood · At risk youth ages 10-18. · Students of Oak Park, Findley, Harding, and North schools in Des Moines
Intended Results · Safe place for youth Monday through Friday 2:45-6:15pm · Improved academics (GPA) through exposure to artistic expression and art education · Decreased number of in and out of school suspensions · Decreased incidence of juvenile delinquency · Increased incidence of honor roll and other academic and community awards · Exposure and appreciation of the arts. · Increased confidence in participants · Development of leadership and career skills Success is the outcome of confidence through accomplishment. Culture Inc.’s goal is to help each child that comes through the door to become positive and productive adult leaders through the teaching and appreciation of fine arts.Academics – the 3 R’s – are central to a good education. However, unlike in math, science, and English, kids can be successful and raise their confidence levels through art because there is no “right” or “wrong” in art. And because creativity requires making internal thoughts external, art, music, dance, drama, and other outlets help children develop problem solving skills and improve communication. Additionally, cognitive and spatial reasoning skills developed through art enhance the ability to learn mathematic concepts. There was a national household survey on how kids spend the after school hours (America After 3 PM),[1] it found that 14.3 million children are unsupervised afterschool. In this neighborhood the distance to afterschool programming such as Boys and Girls Club or YMCA would require transportation; this presents significant barriers for individuals in the Highland Park/Oak Park neighborhood and their ability to participate in such a programs. Culture Inc. is strategically located to support students from these neighboring schools. This type of program is as much needed in this district as in the other surrounding areas in Des Moines. Culture Inc. by design will attract the middle and high school students with what is relevant to them, allow for individual expression and opportunity to demonstrate their creativity in the community imparting positive effects in the home, school, and community. The participants will be exposed to a wealth of opportunities for learning through the arts. Drawing can help a participant in understanding geometry, mixing paints help with chemistry, creative writing and poetry to help with reading and comprehension. There is a great deal of research on the mental stimulation and life lessons provided by art education, which will help youths to succeed in school and later in life. Children at-risk have elements in their lives that may cause them to miss out on the development of some of their early childhood skills. Factors such as socio-economic position, learning disabilities, dysfunctional families, low quality child care, every day stress, and lack of supervision – especially lack of supervision during the critical after-school hours of 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, when children are most susceptible to being lured into risky behaviors such as sexual exploration and drug and alcohol experimentation – can cause children to do poorly in school. Without after-school programs that are free (government funded) or reasonably priced, these intelligent, talented, motivated children facing circumstances beyond their control might find themselves making one or two bad decisions causing them to travel down a bad road. For children to have a successful learning experience in any environment (“ideal” or “at risk”), they must be in a safe and nurturing place, one that offers a teacher/student ratio of 1:10, promotes diversity and acceptance of other cultures, ideas, and points of view, one that allows freedom of expression, one that does not allow bullying or aggression, and one that is peer-guided. And that’s where Culture Inc. intends to make a difference. 
Culture, Inc. has developed long-term programming to support the school system in increasing quality learning and student abilities. The integration of the arts in this particular after school program is to help build and reinforce essential student learning while strengthening teamwork, responsibility, self-discipline, and presentation skills. Most importantly, without its participants even knowing, art education and exploration at Culture Inc. will promote learning in core subjects such as; reading, writing, and math. Anything that will help to engage students, keep them safe and in school and support them academically must be done.
Culture Inc.
3619 6th Ave
Des Moines Iowa
50313
515-244-1200
email us at cultureincorporated@gmail.com
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