embedded in the floating world
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nmazca.blog embedded in the floating world |
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When I was a member, there were 8 sites served, with three or four staff in place at each location. Programming would be offered from 3 until 6 p.m. every weekday, January through December. Aside from this, we often took children to local museums and performing arts centers, they had a photo exhibit at the state gallery, there was an annual performance during the Columbus Arts Festival, the occasional festival or community party, etc. While I often tell people it was an arts education program, its primary function was to develop conflict-resolution skills among the children, most of whom lived in parts of the city with the most instability, violent crime, poverty, etc. This was done mainly through activities of expression -- drawing, painting, acting, dance, music -- along with positive modeling between staff, and the use of a conflict-resolution curriculum kit. Being artists (or "artist-members") many of us tended to leave the kit to the side and just dealt with the kids. More than a year before I returned to Ohio, I had decided that I wanted to work with children in the arts. The program didn't provide the classroom or studio environment that I might have anticipated, but it was a learning, feeling, entertaining, aggravating and unnerving environment of singular importance to me. A couple of you in Seattle have seen the portfolio that I have, which is stuffed mostly with work that the children did or that I did while I worked with them.  The program has been a model for other initiatives in the state. It expanded its scope to serve 13 locations. And now it has no money, since the state (through the Governor's Council for Public Service) is strapped and, more to the point, the federal budget has been hijacked to battle the spectre of international terrorism, domestic insecurity, tyrannical foreign despots with dirty bombs, and whatever other crisis that the junta has created in its War Against Reason. ... ... ... "Perhaps this is a good time to bring you up to speed on the COF program. Not good news unfortunately but it could be even worse. Basically we have heard nothing from Wahington or AmeriCorps regarding our request to be reconsidered for funding. All indications are that despite Mr. Bush's continued ads requesting the public to commit to public service and volunteerism* he has done nothing to provide any more funding (maybe he misplaced the money and left it behind the weapons of mass destruction that they are still looking for)... thus we have no AmeriCorps program. The Greater Columbus Arts Council plans to continue the program on an EXTREMELY reduced scale, i.e. from 13 sites down to 2 maybe 3 or 4 maximum if we can ever find more funding. There will be a total of 4 members at the 2 sites and yours truly will be one of the members. I will spend half of my day in the GCAC office and the other half on site working with the children (just hope this old turkey can still strut his stuff). This degree of programming will be even smaller in scale than the very first year as an AmeriCorps program, 9 years ago, and not much bigger than my original pilot program. At least the "baby" lives. We are hoping to keep the program in some form for a year or two until the current corrupt regime that invaded the White House can be removed and an elected official with more sense can take the reins. I thought you would want to know, and please keep the program and the children in your thoughts and prayers. Oh yes don't forget that there is to be an international protest in Washington on October 25th and national protest around the U.S. on the same day, I can't wait. I even called to fly into D.C. as I have done for 2 major protests in the past but the price for airfare has gone through the roof. I could fly in to D.C. in the morning and get home that night for around $200. Now the same flight is over $800! Oh well I still have my vote and will protest in my own backyard. Keep in touch." ... ... ... * During the summer, I read a story in the P-I that explained how the Bush administration's plan to alter (or break?) AmeriCorps funding structure would've made it impossible for the organization to function. If I remember correctly, they wanted the Corporation for National Service to have all the money for education awards -- the post-service award we got for college/loan payoffs -- in its accounts right now, instead of having money generated by interest or from other funding sources. This had never been the case before, but the Bush line was "Do this, or you won't be funded at all." And so even if this was done, which seemed unlikely, George then asked for $87 Billion to rebuild the second country he ordered to be bombed within 18 months. Conservative compassion... toward whom? But what kind of future? |
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