Newark Museum Explorers Program Named Finalist for 2017 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award
Newark, NJ (PRWEB) June 10, 2017 -- The Newark Museum Explorers Program has been selected as a 2017 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award finalist. The honor, selected by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, is given to outstanding after-school and out-of-school programs that transform the lives of young people.
The Committee received 342 applications from throughout the United States and the Explorers Program was one of 50 finalists that were selected. These finalists are being reviewed by a national jury of experts in the field of arts and humanities, and NAHYP award winners will be selected in June. Each will receive a $10,000 award and an invitation to an awards ceremony in Washington, DC.
“The Newark Museum has long been a national leader in arts education, and we are committed to using our resources and renowned art and science collections to improve the lives of the people we serve,” said Steven Kern, the Museum’s Executive Director and CEO. “Since its inception in 1995, the Explorers Program has provided Newark area high school students with a range of experiences that give them valuable skills that will aid them in college and beyond.”
The Explorers Program is a three-year, year-round experience that serves 30-35 students in grades 10-12 annually. Explorers participate in a variety of learning activities including small group instruction, student-led projects involving different aspects of running a museum, workshops on an array of art topics, field trips, personalized college guidance, “life skills” workshops focusing on themes ranging from etiquette to financial literacy, and mentoring relationships with Museum staff and other professionals representing a wide range of fields.
Over the past several years, 100% of Explorers have graduated high school and gone on to attend four-year colleges or universities. Recent Explorer graduates are attending institutions that include Wellesley College, Penn State University, Rutgers University, Parsons School of Design, Lehigh University, Cornell University and American University. In the Class of 2017, two Explorers received full scholarships: Arif Uddin will be majoring in Engineering Science at NJIT and Inique Bristol will be majoring in Computer Science at Rutgers University.
According to the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, programs that receive the NAHYP Award exemplify how arts and humanities programs outside of the regular school day enrich the lives of young people throughout the country by teaching new skills, nurturing creativity and building self-confidence. These programs offer high-quality and intensive instruction on weekends, afternoons and summer vacations, providing a safe and productive space for young people in the hours when they are often the most vulnerable. Their carefully focused projects supplement in-school curricula with exposure to a wide variety of artistic and scholastic pursuits.
Major support for the Newark Museum’s Explorers Program has been provided by the PSEG Foundation; The Walton Family Foundation; The New York Community Trust, Wattles Family Charitable Fund; The Provident Bank Foundation; the AT&T Foundation; United Airlines; and the Laura J. Niles Foundation. Additional generous support has been provided by the Victoria Foundation; the Prudential Foundation; the Charles E. and Edna T. Brundage Charitable Scientific and Wild Life Conservation Foundation; The Eleanor Upton Charitable Foundation; the Aviation Development Council; and Rochelle and Ronald Karp.
For further information, follow the Museum on Facebook at facebook.com/newark.museum or Twitter at twitter.com/newarkmuseum; or visit http://www.newarkmuseum.org.
Lisa A. Batitto, Newark Museum, http://www.newarkmuseum.org, +1 973596-6638, [email protected]
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