BuildaBridge’s mission is to engage creative people and the transformative power of art-making to being hope and healing to children and families living in contexts of poverty and crisis. We envision a world where all children are resilient, experience self-efficacy, and have a vision for their future. BuildaBridge dedicates its resources to building the capacity of creative adults and local communities to fulfill this vision.

We connect artists to service opportunities through Artists-on-Call and provide direct service to children in transition though arts-integrated programming in Philadelphia and around the world. We have served 9,000 children globally and our annual Institute has trained over 600 artists in service to their communities since 2002.

2009BuildaBridge

Build

aBrid

geCOMMUNITY PROGRAMS

ARTOLOGYANDDISCOVERY

BuildaBridge Community Programs Homeless children are not homeless, they are houseless. Our work is to help them find their place in the world.

BuildaBridge Community provides arts-integrated intervention and education to children and families in underserved communities of Philadelphia. In collaboration with local schools, community centers, transitional homes, and religious congregations, BuildaBridge Community delivers life skills training, artistic educational experiences, and therapeutic intervention through art-making in music, drama, dance, creative writing, and the visual arts. Two components of BuildaBridge Community are Discovery and Artology.

View the BuildaBridge Motto: http://vimeo.com/31660721

Young Urban Artologists explore biology, science and the environment through the eyes and acts of creativity.

Our Goal is to increase the number of children who are

resilient, experience self-efficacy and have a vision for their future. Our 2013 strategic actions:

1. Year-Round Art and ScienceIntegrating the Artology curriculum into our academic year Discovery programming in order to aid students’ acquisition and retention of biological and environmental science knowledge that meets state academic standards.

2. Centralized, Accessible, and Safe SpaceSecuring a central location where students from several transitional homes throughout Philadelphia can come to experience BuildaBridge’s dynamic, safe, educational programming outside of the transitional home environment.

3. Expanded PartnershipsIncrease the effectiveness of partnerships with local schools and community organizations. This includes training partner staff in BuildaBridge methodology as well as programming for parents and community stakeholders.

4. Long-Term Mentoring“Walking with.” Commit to longer term development of creative artists and the agencies that serve and support youth in crisis.

Artology: Art and Science for Success“This the first time my son has ever succeeded in any academic class.” –

Parent of an autistic student

Artology, an art and biology summer camp, the summer component of our year-round Discovery programming, sparks student’s curiosity through a curriculum that integrates natural sciences and the arts. Artology utilizes Philadelphia’s vast natural splendor as a vibrant and evolving classroom. The camp serves youth coping with homelessness and poverty from BuildaBridge’s partner sites in North, West, and North West Philadelphia. Since 2008, Artology has provided over 250 students the opportunity to learn from hands-on educational experiences (e.g. a 3D simulation of the Solar system) using drama, visual art, and movement as well as from various field trips to several of Philadelphia’s art and science museums and parks. Through such initiatives, 4th-5th grade students experienced a 56% increase in science knowledge while 6th-8thgrade students experienced an 85% increase in Science knowledge.

View video at: http://youtu.be/Z9zlRy-sffM

Discovery: Exploring the World and Finding Hope

“ ‘Here Lies I Can’t, A.K.A I don’t know how.’ I stopped putting myself down and started putting myself up.”

Discovery offers an academic year program of arts education that promotes a sense of purpose and inspiration. Students are encouraged to explore their creative and academic potential, to develop internal resources for resilience, and to develop virtues and character. For the past 6 years, BuildaBridge has held its Discovery program in transitional homes for homeless populations throughout Philadelphia. Since 2004, over 2,776 children have participated in Discovery, many with notable increases in resilience, self-efficacy, a sense of purpose and a vision for their future--all this through the efforts of local creative people trained as BuildaBridge Teaching Artists-on-Call.

View Video at: http://youtu.be/aWtMc1NhSZU

205 West Tulpehocken StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19144USA

215-842-0428info@buildabridge.orgwww.buildabridge.org

Art-making in all forms are an essential vehicle for integrative and creative learning.