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First Lady Recognizes Country’s Top After-School Arts and Humanities Programs
Education Nov 18, 2015
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– Courtesy Armory Center for the Arts Facebook
Pasadena’s Art High, Armory Center for the Arts, Honored
With their personal stories demonstrating the power of the arts and humanities to transform lives and communities, 12 young people from across the country shared the stage with First Lady Michelle Obama to receive the country’s highest honor for the after-school programs in which they participate.
The National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards recognize the country’s best creative youth development programs for increasing academic achievement, graduation rates and college enrollment by engaging children and youth in the arts and humanities.
Chosen from a pool of more than 285 nominations and 50 finalists from 50 states—the after-school and out-of-school-time programs were also recognized for improving literacy and language abilities, communication and performance skills, and cultural awareness.
“As I’ve said many times before, arts education is not a luxury, it is a necessity,” said Mrs. Obama at the ceremony. “It’s really the air many of these kids breathe. It’s how we get kids excited about getting up and going to school in the morning. It’s how we get them to take ownership of their future.”
First presented in 1998, the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award is the signature program of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH). The awards are presented annually in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
One of the honorees was “A program that promotes 21st century skills in teens living in at-risk communities through visual and media arts education, experiences and mentorship,” Art High, Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, CA.
In addition to their recognition at the White House, each of the 12 community-based programs will receive $10,000 and a year of communications and capacity-building support from the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. For more information about the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards, visit www.pcah.gov.
