"LeAp Wins National Award from MetLife for Outstanding Bronx Afterschool Program"

BRONX, NY— LeAp’s RAVE Afterschool Program (Radical Arts Venue and Education Center) at CIS 22 in the Bronx is being recognized by MetLife Foundation and the Afterschool Alliance as an “Afterschool Innovator” for increasing literacy and self-confidence through the arts for economically-disadvantaged and culturally-underserved middle school students of the Morrisania community of the Bronx. The LeAp R.A.V.E. Center is being honored as one of only six afterschool programs throughout the country to receive the 2010 MetLife Afterschool Innovator Award.

The award ceremony will be accompanied by student performances of dance, theater, music, and martial arts by 6th, 7th and 8th graders that will showcase the wide range of dynamic arts activities that the program includes.

LeAp’s R.A.V.E Center CIS 22 is changing the lives of about 300 economically disadvantaged and culturally underserved middle school youth, providing afterschool arts-based instruction, community service activities, tutoring, and mentoring. The program uses all arts from photography and video to Capoeira, slam poetry and community action projects, as well as the written word, to engage students in creative pursuits, academic success and creative development. LeAp 22 builds students’ art skills; increases their involvement and attendance inschool; develops confidence and creativity; prevents violence in school and out; and helps students forge positive relationships with peers and adult role models.

Organized by the Afterschool Alliance, Lights On Afterschool is the only nationwide rally for afterschool programs. The Bronx event is one of more than 7,500 being held across the country on and around October 21, at which children, parents, community leaders, educators and others are coming together to urge leaders to increase support for the afterschool programs that children and families need. The events give youth a chance to showcase the skills they learn and talents they develop at their afterschool programs, and to send the message that millions more kids need quality afterschool programs. The event will also feature a video.

The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs. More information is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org.
MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its longstanding tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. In youth development, MetLife Foundation funds initiatives that promote mentoring and provide safe places and constructive activities for young people, particularly during out-of-school time. For more information, visit www.metlife.org.

Since 2006, LeAp's After-School Radical Arts Venue and Education Center (R.A.V.E.) at CIS 22 has been serving the economically-disadvantaged and culturally underserved middle school students of the Morrisania community in the Bronx, providing valuable arts-based programs and after-school instruction. This high-quality program uses all genres of art, including visual arts, music, dance, and theater arts, as well as the written word to engage students in creative pursuits, academic learning, violence prevention, and community service. This innovative after-school program is seamlessly aligned with the school-day curriculum, encouraging academic success and creative development, improving in-school attendance and student performance on standardized tests, and making a lasting impact in the local community.

For over 34 years, LeAp, an arts education organization, has been teaching the academic curriculum through the arts and developing programs designed to help students with social issues. Today, Leap continues to grow and expand, currently works in over 300 public schools, community-based organizations, shelters and cultural institutions throughout the New York metropolitan area, serving over 220,000 students and 8,500 teachers. For more information, please visit www.leapnyc.org.