Summer Learning Gap Bridged For Houston Youth By Royal Bank Of Canada Foundation

Young Audiences of Houston announced today it has been selected by Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Foundation as a 2017 grant recipient to pilot the Come and Explore Summer Camp, an arts-learning summer program for the children of Houston.

"We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to pilot the Come and Explore Summer Camp," said Mary Curry Mettenbrink, Executive Director for Young Audiences of Houston. "Without this investment in financial and volunteer support from RBC, this innovative program would not be possible. We are thankful to Yellowstone Academy for opening their doors and providing educators from across the campus to work with us. Together, we will provide a safe and fun learning environment to 40 families of Houston's Third Ward. As we grow in future years, our goal will be to take this pilot program- offering high-quality, free, arts-based programs during the summer months- and replicate the successes on a larger scale for more children in Houston."

Support from RBC Foundation will directly impact opportunities for rising 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade children to access fun and educational summer programming in the arts, beginning in June 2017. This pilot program will address several critical needs for one of Houston's underserved communities: growing comprehensive arts- infused learning opportunities; designating high-school mentor opportunities for Houston area youth to serve as camp leaders; and progressing towards a culmination event to highlight student talent for parents, family and community members.

For the 25 million+ low-income public school students in America, "summer vacation" is often a misnomer. Instead of a relaxing break to explore new places and interests or refresh mental stores, it's often a time when children, youth and families struggle to find food, safety and learning opportunities for children.

Summer learning loss- the phenomenon where young people lose academic skills over the summer- is one of the most significant causes of the achievement gap between lower and higher income youth and one of the strongest contributors to the high school dropout rate. For many young people, "opportunity gaps" over the summer months contribute to gaps in achievement, employment. college readiness and career success.

In all capacities, this pilot project, designed specifically for the children of Houston, aligns perfectly with the mission of Young Audiences of Houston. Come and Explore Summer Camp will serve as a safe place for students during the summer and as a place to support their academic success through the delivery of creative arts-based programs.

"At Yellowstone Academy, we believe that the arts are a critical part of our students' educational experience. We have enjoyed a terrific partnership with Young Audiences, and this summer camp is an ideal way for us to further enhance our work together. We are thrilled to offer our families this exciting opportunity, and help create a model for a program that will impact hundreds of Houston's students in the years to come," statEd Ryan Dolibois, Executive Director for Yellowstone Academy.

"We are delighted to support Young Audiences of Houston and its pilot program "Come and Explore Summer Camp" to address critical needs for one of Houston's underserved communities," commented Sharon Solomon, Managing Director of Client and Marketing Strategy at RBC Capital Markets and Co-Chair of the RBC Foundation USA. "Supporting this worthy cause aligns with our Foundation's commitment to making a meaningful contribution to the communities where we operate by assisting youth-oriented nonprofit organizations that make a positive difference."

For more information, please visit: www.yahouston.org

About Yellowstone Academy

Founded in 2002,Yellowstone Academy is a private, faith based school in Houston's Third Ward that serves 350 students from Pre-K through the 8th grade, and another 100 alumni. Located in the heart of Third Ward in the historic Douglass Elementary School building, Yellowstone provides an academically rigorous, Christian education to families who otherwise would have limited options for educational excellence. Our unique community school model actively engages our families, other organizational partnerships, and over 600 volunteers annually. At Yellowstone, we are preparing community leaders who are college and career ready:

• 100% of 8th grade class of 2016 were admitted to highly ranked high schools across Houston
• 82% of all Yellowstone alumni attend a highly ranked high school
• For Yellowstone's first class of 8th grade graduates:
  • 92% of these alumni graduated from high school this past May
  • Over 80% of these graduates are now pursuing a college degree at nearly a dozen colleges nationwide

For more information, please visit: www.yellowstoneacademy.org

About RBC Royal Bank of Canada

RBC Royal Bank of Canada is Canada's largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We have over 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 36 other countries. For more information, please visit http://www.rbc.com/. RBC helps communities prosper, supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. For more information please see: http://www.rbc.com/community-sustainability/.

About Young Audiences of Houston

Young Audiences of Houston provides the largest network of partnerships and access to arts in education in the region. Each year, Young Audiences of Houston serves more than 237,800 children in the greater Houston region, which includes seven counties across Texas.

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