Community Impact: Community Needs, Public Benefit, Participation and Access. Describe how the project or activities will provide public benefit to Bainbridge Island residents and visitors. Will there be new opportunities for community participation? How will you improve access to your proposed project or activities?
Community Impact: Community Needs, Public Benefit, Participation and Access. This project benefits Bainbridge Island residents and visitors by raising awareness about people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as a subculture within the greater community. This active group of individuals have passions, drive, and artistic talents that would remain hidden without the support provided by Vitalize Kitsap. All of us benefit when people with intellectual and developmental disabilities participate in community events, have jobs, interact socially with their peers and others, and contribute their creative work to our shared culture. This project creates new opportunities for community participation and allows us to reach audiences we have not previously had access to. To create our costumes, sets, and resale items in an eco-supportive way, we will upcycle donated used and recyclable materials, received through Buy Nothing Bainbridge. This will involve the whole community who participates in this island-grown (co-founded by one of our staff members), and now- worldwide gift economy. By hosting an original play at a public venue, which offers discounted rates for people with disabilities, there will be many opportunities to experience the joy and creativity of our members. If island residents or visitors don’t get a chance to see the play, the original, recycled and upcycled costumes and set props will be displayed during a First Friday Art Walk at the Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx Center. Additionally, some members’ art will be permanently showcased in our online store (and new art added over time), which will provide many outreach opportunities for us to raise awareness about the contributions our members make to the culture of this island. The support from this grant will also impact a culture of people with intellectual and development disabilities who live on Bainbridge Island, in adult family homes. These individuals live together in a community, so they do not have Respite Care support like their adult friends who live with their parents. This means to access our services, they have to pay out of pocket, though they do not have excess money after their minimal Medicaid dollars are spent. This xxxxx xxxxx up some of our project expenses for our scholarship fund, which means these deserving community members can attend our clubs, participate in our play, and gain work experience through our online marketplace. When everyone has access to, and is welcome in, our public, work, and art spaces, regardless of economic, physical and intellectu...
Community Impact: Community Needs, Public Benefit, Participation and Access. Describe how the project or activities will provide public benefit to Bainbridge Island residents and visitors. • Will there be new opportunities for community participation? • How will you improve access to your proposed project or activities? o Will you offer activities or performances that are affordable or free to the public? o Will they be accessible to all people, regardless of physical ability? o Will you provide focused outreach to underrepresented communities or underserved segments of the Island’s population? • Describe the audience you will reach and how you will reach them. Will the proposed project or activities reach audiences to new your organization? Our goal is to advance Bainbridge Island as a leader in arts and culture, turning cultural activities into economic growth, helping our arts community to thrive. We will continue to support in-person events and expand virtual experiences as well. We are seeking funding to create videos of our programs, including video residences for Arts In Education, virtual tours of public art, expansion of a Social Justice section on xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx, as well as increased accessibility features on our website. Our aim is to expand access to creative learning for all, through the use of audio, video and written stories. We are planning on supporting a new Poet Laureate program, with the goal of hosting three or more readings per year, introducing Bainbridge poetry lovers to many styles of contemporary poetry. We will work with community organizations to celebrate their contributions to our island, increase visibility, and invite broader participation. We will highlight poetry unique to Bainbridge's cultural organizations and their missions. Organizations could include BI Senior and Community Center, BI Historical Society, BI Japanese American Community, and more. We will also continue to feature teen poetry through our 'Poetry Vibes' section on Currents. We are planning on creating a 'Courage In Journalism' series, covering the brave history of Bainbridge Island's journalists. One of the features will cover journalists speaking out against the Japanese internment in 1942. The Bainbridge Island Review was the only newspaper in the country to reject the government's actions. We are planning on engaging speakers to talk about how it took courage to be so honest. As the pandemic has restricted access to attend live performing arts events, we have been showcasing performances on Currents. We held two free livest...
