Educating Imagination
Summary:
Invest in St. Paul’s creative class by educating its public school students in the value of the arts not only as a vehicle for personal expression and community building, but also as a powerful economic development tool.
Help students understand career opportunities available in the arts by collaborating with art and design students, and professionals through expanding the College of Visual Arts Teaching Artists program (TAP) in the St. Paul public schools and developing a partnership with the Creative Arts High School (CAHS).
The TAP program is a proven way to inject innovation, creativity, and critical thinking into public school classrooms while addressing the achievement gap in a unique way. The new partnership with CAHS would include the “Create, Don’t Hate” (CDH) youth mentoring initiative built around the theme of tolerance. This self-guided program has been created to empower youth in underserved communities with real-world experience using design thinking to communicate their ideas, exhibit their potential, and take action in their communities.
The College of Visual Arts (CVA) would continue its investment in talented St. Paul students by offering them scholarships to attend CVA. This would provide them with a clear pathway to higher education and give them the opportunity to earn a bachelor of fine arts degree (BFA) in Saint Paul. This would make it much more likely that these students would remain in the city for their professional careers.
$1 million worth of seeds planted in St. Paul’s art and design community garden would yield a great return on investment! Plus, it would preserve and enrich a flourishing creative class in Saint Paul.
About You
About You
First Name
Kolean
Last Name
Pitner
City
Minneapolis
County
Hennepin
Country
United States, MN, Hennepin County
Website (if you have one)
Names of others who helped contribute to my idea
John DuFresne, Seth Johnson
How did you hear about the Forever Saint Paul Challenge?
From friends and colleagues
About Your Organization (if applicable)
Organization Name (if applicable)
CVA Action
Organization Website
Organization Phone
651-238-5103
Organization Address
1621 East Hennepin Avenue
City
Minneapolis
Organization Country
United States, MN, Hennepin County
Your idea
Title of your idea
Educating Imagination
Give us the highlights of your idea for making Saint Paul great (2,000 characters maximum or approx. 250 words)
Invest in St. Paul’s creative class by educating its public school students in the value of the arts not only as a vehicle for personal expression and community building, but also as a powerful economic development tool.
Help students understand career opportunities available in the arts by collaborating with art and design students, and professionals through expanding the College of Visual Arts Teaching Artists program (TAP) in the St. Paul public schools and developing a partnership with the Creative Arts High School (CAHS).
The TAP program is a proven way to inject innovation, creativity, and critical thinking into public school classrooms while addressing the achievement gap in a unique way. The new partnership with CAHS would include the “Create, Don’t Hate” (CDH) youth mentoring initiative built around the theme of tolerance. This self-guided program has been created to empower youth in underserved communities with real-world experience using design thinking to communicate their ideas, exhibit their potential, and take action in their communities.
The College of Visual Arts (CVA) would continue its investment in talented St. Paul students by offering them scholarships to attend CVA. This would provide them with a clear pathway to higher education and give them the opportunity to earn a bachelor of fine arts degree (BFA) in Saint Paul. This would make it much more likely that these students would remain in the city for their professional careers.
$1 million worth of seeds planted in St. Paul’s art and design community garden would yield a great return on investment! Plus, it would preserve and enrich a flourishing creative class in Saint Paul.
Website address (if applicable)
Innovation
What makes your idea different or unexpected? (4000 characters maximum or approx. 500 words)
The TAP program is innovative and effective. We want to expand it.
The CDH mentorship initiative is distinctively different, proven and tested. It has an excellent track record for encouraging students to explore careers in the creative arts.
Lots of scholarships exist, but few are specific for sending St. Paul high school students to a St. Paul college.
People often think that to make a difference they have to build something new from scratch. Our approach is unexpected and innovative because of its use of existing St. Paul assets.
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
How will your idea make a difference in Saint Paul? (4000 characters maximum or approx. 500 words)
Helps address the achievement gap in a meaningful and creative way.
Assists in keeping CVA open by providing much need funds and incoming student recruits during a time of dire need.
If St. Paul kids go to college in St. Paul, they’re more likely to remain in St. Paul as taxpayers and job creators.
It creates an opportunity for cross-pollination between existing St. Paul institutions and is a morale booster for the creative community.
Strengthens, broadens, and enriches the cultural community of St. Paul economically, educationally, socially (teachers, designers, artists, students) and communally (neighborhoods).
Sustainability
Why do you think people will recognize or remember your idea after it comes to life? How might it inspire others to do something similar in their community? (4000 characters maximum or approx. 500 words)
Reaping what you sow: If you invest in St. Paul kids and St. Paul institutions, the will both stay in St. Paul. Investments in children and educational institutions last for generations.
Educational institutions will be stronger and thrive if their interdependence in encourage, fostered, and financed.
A young person is never going to forget someone giving them a leg-up. This kind of profound life changing experience will likely result in the beneficiary of such an opportunity “paying it forward” in the future.
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