That is about to change.

On March 6, 2008, the Foundation kicked off what it hopes will become a community-led effort to develop a comprehensive blueprint for investing in arts education, both in and out of school, for Philadelphia’s children and youth. Nearly 120 community activists, arts educators, cultural leaders, public officials, funders, and others concerned with the advancement of cultural opportunities for Philadelphia’s young people attended the town-hall style meeting, held at the National Constitution Center. The event is expected to serve as the first step in a year-long planning process, which will be coordinated by the OMG Center for Collaborative Learning.

Participants heard from Gigi Antoni, CEO of Big Thought, a Dallas-based learning collaborative central to that city’s substantial arts education initiative. Antoni shared lessons learned and helped the group to understand the steps that were necessary to create Dallas’ arts education program, widely regarded as the nation’s strongest big-city commitment to arts for young people.

Building on the momentum from the March 6 event, the group is expected to develop outcome-oriented goals and a vision for the future. Community members will participate through four working groups: infrastructure and leadership; programming; policy and advocacy; and research and evaluation. Each team met during the kick off meeting and committed to specific follow up steps, including additional meetings over the next several weeks.

Individuals who were unable to attend the kick off event are encouraged to join the effort and can learn more through the OMG Center’s web site.