A Lackawanna County initiative aimed at helping at-risk children and youth improve their self-esteem through artistic expression is seeking applicants for its 2013-14 grants.
The county Department of Arts and Culture will award three Arts Engage grants of up to $50,000 each for programs providing high-quality art instruction, support and mentorship to children from elementary through high school, with a focus on the target areas of Scranton and Carbondale, Deputy Director Maureen McGuigan said Monday.
Applications for the program, which is entering its sixth year, are due April 19.
The department will present an information session on the county's Arts Engage request for qualifications process and program guidelines today at 9 a.m. at the Electric City Trolley Museum.
"It's a pretty big program and we want to make sure everybody understands what we are looking for and what the requirements are," Ms. McGuigan said.
More than 5,000 children have participated in Arts Engage projects since the program's inception in 2008.
"We have had success," Ms. McGuigan said. "We have actually tracked children, and there were positive changes in their self-esteem and peer-to-peer relationships."
The county uses a consortium model for the grant program, with one organization applying as the coordinating agency for the consortium partnership that may include local arts organizations, professional artists, social service agencies, universities and colleges, peer mentors and other groups. One partner must be an elementary, middle or high school.
The Arts Engage RFQ and other information, including the program handbook, are available on the county website, www.lackawannacounty.org.
Contact the writer: dsingleton@timesshamrock.com