Community Collaboration For Low Cost Creative Summer Art Camps In Long Beach

Social & emotional support

Rates of volunteerism

Residential segregation

Come Alive Long Beach (CALB) makes LA the best place to connect through collaboration with community members to serve as mentors and artisans at summer camps and with community organizations who host camps, contribute volunteers and resources and extend support services to Come Alive Long Beach (CALB) families and students throughout the year. Come Alive Long Beach’s (CALB) approach addresses social and emotional support, rates of volunteerism and residential segregation.

Low-income families will have access to affordable, innovative summer programs to enrich their students, contributing towards the eight categories of assets required for optimum individual success and well-being: support, empowerment, boundaries and expectations, constructive use of time, commitment to learning, positive values, social competence and positive identity. Parents gain a support team for their youth and children when their students participate in CALB camps. Families gain awareness and access to year round support services offered by CALB’s partnering organizations that include parenting classes, support and recovery groups, low cost counseling and free family events.

For mentors and artisan, they get to intentionally engage students, bonding through shared experiences in classes, during meals and playing together. Then, the youth and kids also connect with one another as they come together at camp and develop friendships.

Come Alive Long Beach (CALB)’s pilot program took place July 2016 and was made possible by a team of 55 volunteers from the local community and partnering organizations that contributed 1,123 hours to teach, mentor and help manage camp operations. The reputation of the camp gained momentum as a result of the four week camp by way of social media and word of mouth, attracting more volunteer sign ups and inquiries. The rates of volunteerism and community collaboration allowed CALB to offer a wide range of quality creative subjects, drawing the interest of new artisans, volunteers and potential partnering organizations to host a Come Alive camp in their facilities.

CALB’s 2016 camp had mentors and artisans from around the city and surrounding areas of Long Beach. Together, individuals from residentially segregated areas are working together and taking action, giving their time, energy and talents to nurture vulnerable youth and kids in inner city Long Beach. CALB brings together all of these people from partnering organizations, volunteers, families and their children and it lends to cultural exchanges and meaningful experiences for all involved. Former camp artisan, mentors and families have already committed to participate at future camps, desiring to continue the connection among one another and with the youth and children.

Come Alive Long Beach’s goals are to 1) connect inner-city families and their students with inspiring and affordable creative summer programs 2) make lasting and effective partnerships with community organizations and artisans to empower and encourage healthy youth and child development 3) raise awareness among inner-city families about community based resources and support services available 4) create jobs for local artists 5) generate community volunteerism

Program success will be evaluated by the following:

-Number of volunteers recruited, new and returning

-Amount of students participating from neighborhoods near the camp locations, new and returning

-Amount of students registered from low-income families

-Percent of families and/or students involved in programs offered by partnering organizations after camp participation

-Student and family satisfaction of subjects offered

-Program satisfaction for parents, students, volunteers, instructors and partnering organizations

-Number of organizations partnered

-Percent of organizations desiring ongoing partnerships

-Number of new organizations interested in future collaborations

Evaluations will be collected from parents, volunteers and partnering organization at the close of the summer program. We will gain feedback from students through group and one-on-one discussions throughout the four weeks of camp. Feedback will be reviewed, discussed and considered for ongoing program assessment and enhancement.

Money

Volunteers

Advisors/board members

Staff

Publicity/awareness

Community outreach

Network/relationship support

Quality improvement research