California Humanities Awards $180k to 14 Projects to Support Civics Learning in Middle Grades

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ellen Lake, ellen@kala.org, 510-520-6438, https://calhum.org/california-humanities-awards-180k-to-14-civics-projects/

Kala Art Institute receives a $5,000 planning grant for a new pilot program grant to support civics and humanities education for California’s middle grades youth (grades 6-8 or ages 10-14) in school and out-of-school settings.

April 25, 2023—(Berkeley, CA)— Kala Art Institute is one of three grantees to receive a $5,000 planning grant. Planning grantees are in a research and design phase of up to twelve months. The goal is to bolster community and camaraderie among these educators in the emerging nexus of civics and humanities youth education.

“California Humanities is delighted to announce awards for the 2023 Civics + Humanities Middle Grades Grant program to 14 projects across the state.

Civics + Humanities Middle Grades Grants is a new pilot program that offers $5,000-$15,000 grants to support civics and humanities education for California’s middle grades youth (grades 6-8 or ages 10-14) in school and out-of-school settings. In the critical middle grade years, California Humanities sees a powerful opportunity to cultivate the skills and habits young people need to actively engage in civic life through their school years and into the future. We hope these grants will empower a pipeline of California students to step into their roles as civically engaged community members.

From Watsonville to Berkeley to San Diego, some of the awarded projects weave together topics such as history, music, and art to cultivate unique learning environments for fostering civic engagement. For example, youth organization Outside the Lens will develop a program for youth in grades 6-8 to study Chicano Park, a series of public murals painted by activists and artists on the concrete pylons and walls of the Coronado Bay Bridge in San Diego. Students will learn about site’s significance, and how the practice of civil disobedience there can serve as a model for present-day civic engagement.”

Read the full press release below.

California Humanities Awards $180k to 14 Projects to Support Civics Learning in Middle Grades