On Tuesday (November 15) First Lady Michelle Obama presented the 2016 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award (NAHYPA) to St. Louis ArtWorks’ Executive Director Priscilla Block and teen apprentice AnnaLise Cason at The White House.
“We believe that every single child has boundless promise, no matter who they are, where they come from, or how much money their parents have,” Mrs. Obama said at the Award ceremony. “And it is important to our continued greatness to see these kids as ours – not as ‘them,’ not as ‘other,’ but as ours. And that’s really the power of programs like these. That’s the message that they send to our young people every single day.”
St. Louis ArtWorks is one of only 12 organizations nationwide to be to be recognized this year for its effectiveness in promoting learning and life skills in young people. The NAHYP Award is the nation’s highest honor for these programs.
St. Louis ArtWorks is a year-round job training program using art as a tool to teach essential life and job skills to underserved St. Louis youth.
“I like to use my art to capture my dreams, music I hear, or something I have read in a book,” said Cason. “I want to be an illustrator, and what I’ve learned with St. Louis ArtWorks will help me in the future. I have learned to speak with more confidence, and to be more of a leader.”
The NAHYP award recognizes the country’s best after-school and out-of-school-time creative youth development programs for using engagement in the arts and the humanities to increase academic achievement, graduation rates, and college enrollment. The 12 awardees—chosen from a pool of 251 nominees and 50 finalists—were also recognized for improving literacy and language abilities, communication and performance skills, and cultural awareness.
“We hope this award will draw attention to the documented fact that programs like ours are essential investments – not just in the lives of our young people, but in our community as well,” said Priscilla Block. “We’re incredibly proud of this achievement and of the young people, volunteers, supporters, board, and staff who made it possible.”
Ninety percent (90%) of St. Louis ArtWorks’ youth graduate high school and plan to attend college, which is a significantly higher rate than their classmates. The Award was celebrated by a number of its long-time partners and supporters, including the Missouri Arts Council, the Regional Arts Commission, Emerson and ArtMart.
“By engaging and inspiring young people, St. Louis ArtWorks is giving them not just the vision but the skills to build a new and better life for themselves and their families, and for our community,” said Narcisa Symank, Board Chair for St. Louis ArtWorks.“ These young people are learning how to use creative thinking to work as a team, to solve problems and to express themselves constructively. These are exactly the kinds of skills we want them to have to be able to succeed in school, in work, and in life.”
In addition to the national recognition bestowed by receipt of the prestigious award, St. Louis ArtWorks will also receive $10,000 to support its programming and engage more young people from the community.
“These amazing programs prove how effective creative youth development can be in changing lives and communities,” said Megan Beyer, executive director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. “They’re improving academic achievement and contributing to high school graduation rates, and they’re providing the opportunity for young people to build the 21st-century skills they need to succeed in school and in life.”
