We Care Performing Arts | Minnesota starts sign up for their 2014 Summer Camp

MINNEAPOLIS - May 9, 2014 - PRLog -- We Care Performing Arts | Minnesota has opened sign up for their 2014 summer camp in north Minneapolis. We Care’s founder Lorraine Smaller says, “We have some great sponsors this year who believe in the work our staff does to give inner-city children high-impact learning experiences in the performing arts, as well as traditional classroom academics like math, reading and history.

Every summer, Smaller, a former public school educator and member of the Minnesota Alliance of Black School Educators holds an outdoor summer camp in north Minneapolis’ Farwell Park to give low-income students the chance to have outdoor leaning activities featuring some of Minnesota’s top performance arts teachers. Local songstress Debbie Duncan said, “I love thistime of year. The children who come to the summer camp are motivated to learn about jazz and its history and participate at unbelievable levels.” This summers artists also include T Rambone, pianist Tom West, and singer Thomasina Petrus, who hold sessions with the children in preparation for their summer finale held in the park (Farwell Park) in north Minneapolis.

“Our children come back every summer,” said Smaller.

Smaller’s concern has been the concern of many north Minneapolis programs that have seen an uptick in violence against school aged children, some who are buried before they turn six years-old. Smaller said,“Our data shows the children that attend We Care Performing Arts summer camp have less disciplinary actions during the regular school year and our outdoor component has proved successful in the connections with other school aged family members and their parents.

Learner-centered, research-based instruction in the visual arts,music, dance, drama, ceramics, digital photography and animation, We CarePerforming Arts | Minnesota supports academic growth and personal achievement for elementary, middle and high school students especially those most at riskof academic failure—children with Limited English Proficiency living inhigh-poverty areas.

All We Care Performing Arts | Minnesota programs, taught byprofessional teaching artists, are designed to strengthen language development,develop critical thinking skills, promote literacy and improve learning outcomes overall. Most importantly, children and youth who participate in WeCare Performing Arts | Minnesota programs see themselves as capable of settingand reaching goals.

Working individually, in pairs or small groups, students develop community-building skills including cooperation and patience, and gain verbal skills and confidence, as well as the capacity to trust their own creative instincts.

Elementary and middle school students come to the We CarePerforming Arts | Minnesota campus during the summer for in-depth instruction in the visual and performing arts.

In collaboration with our community partners, the Pohlad Foundation, Minneapolis Park Board and the City of Minneapolis, We Care Performing Arts | Minnesota provides summer programs in the visual and performing arts for elementary and middle school students. We Care Performing Arts | Minnesota takes a whole-child approach to elementary education.Teachers, administrators, counselors, and support staff work together to meet the intellectual, social, behavioral, and emotional needs of each and every child we serve.

Specialized, in-depth summer programs at We Care PerformingArts | Minnesota include specialty classes of Voice, Acting Improvisation, Piano, Guitar, Dance, Hip-Hop, African Dance and Ballroom Dance. It has been our experience Drumming helps creative expression through the arts and increases an individuals’ self-confidence, ability to communicate, engagement in life and over all happiness.

This summer program is open for students 6-16. To register visit We Care Performing Arts |MN at www.wecareperformingartsmn.org (http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wecareperf...)and click on registration form to print and fill out the summer 2014 application. Open enrollment ends on June 5. There is a $25 charge for t-shirts.  For more information, please call (612) 965-8897.