NEW YORK, April 25, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Kids (www.globalkids.org), an award-winning in-school and afterschool program that connects undeserved teens with international issues and develops their leadership skills, has received new support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
Global Kids will receive $10,000 for its Undesirable Elements program, conducted in collaboration Ping Chong & Company. The program helps GK students learn how creativity and artistic expression can inform others about serious issues and create positive change in their communities and the world.
Ping Chong's Undesirable Elements is a dynamic, year-long theater project developed and performed by teens. Students weave together their cultural heritage, personal stories, world history, and current events to share compelling stories that tackle difficult issues such as globalization, immigration, discrimination and poverty. The performances combine dance, music, spoken word and theater to create a moving and unforgettable experience that is performed regularly at Global Kids' Annual Youth Conference and other venues.
An example of the work is at this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRCIRsf1cM0&feature=plcp&context=C47e077cVDvjVQa1PpcFPbzykXjwpRAiGwVHiSbDbtKWjMmp7gzx0
"Students pour their hearts and souls into these performances and through their efforts they develop their creativity and skills as both leaders and members of a team. Art has always served an important role in awakening our consciousness about injustice in the world and we seek to continue that important tradition through this program," says Evie Hantzopoulos, Executive Director, Global Kids.
Global Kids is one of 788 not-for-profit national, regional, state, and local organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. The 788 Art Works grants total $24.81 million and support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts.
"The arts should be a part of everyday life. Whether it's seeing a performance, visiting a gallery, participating in an art class, or simply taking a walk around a neighborhood enhanced by public art, these grants are ensuring that across the nation, the public is able to experience how art works," says Rocco Landesman, Chair, NEA.
Global Kids—the premier non-profit educational organization for global learning and youth development—works to ensure that urban youth have the knowledge, skills, experiences and values they need to succeed in school, participate effectively in the democratic process, and achieve leadership in their communities and on the global stage. Young people examine global issues, make local connections, and create change through peer education, social action, digital media, and service-learning, while receiving intensive support from GK staff.
Reaching over 14,000 youth and educators each year—while groundbreaking online programs reach millions more—Global Kids transforms lives while charting new life journeys. Global Kids operates in-school and out-of-school time programs in New York City and Washington, D.C. public schools and at our headquarters. Representing the rich diversity of our world, many Global Kids participants, better known as the GK Leaders, attend low performing schools and live in neighborhoods whose ethnic groups are largely underrepresented academically, politically and professionally.
The Global Kids, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4850