'Grow With Give' Program Announces 2022 Program Recipients

Today, the Grow with GIVE Program, launched in March of this year by New 42/New Victory Theater, ArtsConnection, and Community-Word Project, announced the six NYC-based cultural organizations that will receive dedicated support to fully utilize and implement the GIVE Guide into their classroom settings and institutional practices. As part of a generous grant from The New York Community Trust, Grow with GIVE will provide specialized programming to Bridging Education and Art Together (BEAT); City Lore Inc.; Coalition for Hispanic Family Services, Arts and Literacy Program; Marquis Studios, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden; and Studio in a School NYC.

Designed to help Teaching Artists (TAs) and organizations further articulate and execute inclusive practices in Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) and other classroom and learning settings serving students with disabilities, the GIVE Guide incorporates focus group feedback from a diverse consortium of contributors to create the necessary resources and educational support for a vibrant and liberated arts experience. This free online guide features over 50 unique elements to enhance classroom instruction, including a checklist for inclusive lesson planning; guidance for creating a stigma-free learning environment; and strategies for supporting diverse learners.

Each participating organization will receive a series of community learning workshops and coaching sessions led by a team of specialized GIVE Trainers - many of whom collaboratively developed the GIVE resources - from partnered institutions New 42/New Victory Theater, ArtsConnection, and Community-Word Project.

In addition to an introductory workshop for all staff, each organization will select five to ten TAs and administrators to participate in a bespoke professional development program. This year-long program will include four multi-hour training sessions developed for each individual cohort, a lab-style sharing session for coaching and reflection supporting the implementation of GIVE practices in the classroom, and a final convening of all six organizations to share overall learnings and celebrate.

A stipend of $3,000 will also be provided to each organization to acknowledge their commitment to the work and to help offset expenses for TA and staff compensation.

Preliminary GIVE research, conducted in Spring 2021 by WolfBrown, shows that TAs who participated in training to use the GIVE resources improved in creating a welcoming and inclusive classroom more substantially than a control group of TAs working in similar environments. There is also evidence that TAs who engaged with the GIVE materials taught students to use digital tools and platforms more effectively than their untrained peers.

The training program will launch at the top of the 2022-23 academic year and culminate in June 2023.

More about the organizations that were selected for the 2022 "Grow with GIVE" program can be found below:

Bridging Education and Art Together (BEAT)

A 501(c)3 nonprofit located in New York City, Bridging Education and Art Together (BEAT) envisions a world where Hip Hop is embraced as an integral tool in educational, clinical, and therapeutic settings to unlock the proven benefits of creative self-expression. BEAT's mission is to develop inclusive, accessible arts education rooted in Hip Hop culture. Through arts education programming, clinical research, and professional development, BEAT champions Hip Hop as a dynamic tool in improving physical and mental wellbeing. BEAT achieves this mission through a 3-pronged tunnel. 1) BEAT offers Hip Hop arts education programs to youth in under-resourced communities and people with disabilities. 2) Informed by program observations, BEAT conducts clinical research on the efficacy of Hip Hop as a pathway to physical and mental wellbeing. 3) Based on this research, BEAT trains professionals to use Hip Hop as a tool to advance clinical and health practices.

City Lore, Inc.

Founded in 1985, City Lore's mission is to foster New York City - and America's - living cultural heritage through education and public programs in service of cultural equity and social justice. We work in four cultural domains: urban folklore and history; preservation; arts education; and grassroots poetry traditions. We bring a cultural and decolonial lens to arts education by centering culturally-rooted arts, including folk and traditional arts, in meaningful ways that connect to young people's own heritages, identities, experiences, and communities. We aim to bridge the gap between students' school and home lives by inviting young people to investigate their neighborhoods, families, cultural traditions, and histories and to utilize this firsthand research in their art-making. Our programs draw on the rich cultural traditions and resources of the city's many neighborhoods, and ethnic, linguistic, and artistic communities to support learning in the arts. We collaborate with traditional, folk, and contemporary artists, whose work explores the themes of personal and community history and identity.

Coalition for Hispanic Family Services, Arts and Literacy Program

The Coalition for Hispanic Family Services Arts & Literacy Program addresses the educational needs of children by providing them with opportunities to create, think, communicate and problem solve. Program activities build literacy in the widest sense of the word through a multitude of arts disciplines. The interdisciplinary curriculum builds upon the children's interests, heritage, background, and strengths, using the same effective, holistic, multicultural approach which is the hallmark of all of Coalition for Hispanic Family Services' programs. The CHFS A&L program also is a strong collective of out of school educators from various backgrounds reflecting the diverse neighborhoods of which the program is honored to be a part. CHFS's goal is to empower children, youth and families with opportunities for success and self-reliance while reinforcing their sense of culture and self-identity.

Marquis Studios

Founded In 1977, Marquis Studios inspires a passion for learning by bringing the arts into over 140 schools in all 5 boroughs of NYC annually. By building partnerships between teaching artists and educators, we enable students to reach their full potential and make learning a positive experience for every child regardless of income or ability. We offer a full spectrum of in-school and after school residencies as well as family workshops that encourage student exploration of visual arts, theater, music, dance, media arts, architecture, circus arts and puppetry. Marquis Studios' programs incorporate Social Emotional Learning, Culturally Responsive Curriculum, Universal Design for Learning strategies as well as Arts Integration with academic subject areas. We provide ongoing pedagogical training for our teaching artists and have strong partnerships with District 75 schools.

Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden

Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is an urban oasis where the arts, history, and nature converge. We offer dynamic programming in the arts, horticulture and urban agriculture for diverse cultures and all ages, and steward a historic campus for New Yorkers and other visitors. We envision being a locally impactful, nationally renowned destination, true to our values of stewardship and conservation, inclusion and discovery, artistic vibrancy and community. Snug Harbor is located in Staten Island, New York's "unexpected borough." Our culturally and economically diverse community benefits from 83 acres of open green space, including gardens, woodland, parkland, and State-mapped wetlands. Programs center on diverse voices in the arts, environmental sciences, urban farming and composting. Snug Harbor is a Smithsonian Affiliate and member of the New York City Cultural Institutions Group. We welcome 500,000 visitors annually to explore our gardens, galleries, cultural events, and historic buildings.

Studio in a School NYC

Studio in a School NYC (Studio NYC) fosters the creative and intellectual development of children and youth through quality visual arts experiences directed by professional artists. The organization also collaborates with and develops the ability of those who provide or support arts programming and creative development for youth both in and outside of schools. Since its foundation in 1977 by Agnes Gund, philanthropist and President Emerita of The Museum of Modern Art, our organization has brought in-depth, high-quality instruction and engagement to students in New York City Title 1 public schools and community centers. Today, Studio NYC annually provides visual arts experiences to 30,000 children-from 3K to the 12th grade-most in need in all five boroughs of the city.