Young Audiences of Virginia Inc.

Our mission is to inspire and engage students in and through the arts through culturally rich, student-focused performances, workshops, residencies, and virtual learning led by the professional artists on our roster. Motivated by our belief that the arts are central to a well-rounded education, we provide arts-integrated programs to help pre-K to 12th grade students build academic, creative, and social-emotional skills. Our artists—musicians, dancers, storytellers, visual artists, and more—use their art forms as teaching tools, helping to reach learners who struggle with traditional methods of teaching. We prioritize our services to under-served students in Title 1 schools; students with intellectual or physical disabilities; and military-connected students who may require additional resources while their parents/caregivers are deployed or otherwise serving our country.

We will be widely recognized as Virginia’s premier provider of arts integrated learning. As the provider of choice, we strive to ensure that every child in Virginia will have the opportunity to engage in quality arts and learning-related activities and experiences. To achieve this vision, we will: 1)Anticipate the changing needs of our partners and local communities; 2) Identify, engage, and develop stakeholders to help us prioritize services to underserved or historically marginalized populations; 3) Provide and refine the equitable delivery of services that nurture creativity, cultural awareness, and the development of critical thinking and learning skills.

Source: Nonprofit submitted responses

Goal One: Finding innovative ways to work with more under-served students, particularly students of color and students with intellectual and/or physical disabilities.

Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.

Goal Two: Establishing more joint initiatives with other nonprofit and human services organizations, as we elevate the importance of family, school, and community partnerships.

Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served.

Goal Three: Implementing new assessment tools that better measure student progress and outcomes.

Goal Type: Grow, expand, scale or increase access to the existing programs and services.

Describe an investment in leadership

Through our national Young Audiences’ affiliation, there are regular opportunities for virtual peer-to-peer sharing and training for all staff members. Twice a year, our CEO participates in person at Young Audiences’ national conferences, with topics such as “DEI and the role of Institutional Leadership” and “How We Share Power Through A Shifted Organizational Structure.” Locally, our CEO attends the semi-annual Building Excellence series sponsored by the Hampton Roads Community Foundation for area nonprofits. The CEO and two board members participated in the Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s “Build Your New Normal” series, which addressed strategic planning and capacity building. Although every staff member is expected to take assigned training seminars to advance their subject matter expertise and soft skills, we brought in an outside management consultant who designed special training classes on project management and relationship building for the Education and Program team.

This organization mobilizes for mission in the following ways:

• Strategic Partnerships

• Networks of Collective Impact Efforts

• Raising Awareness

• Policy Advocacy

What are this organization’s external mobilizaton efforts?

1. Our leadership regularly engages in partnerships with other nonprofit organizations, foundations, corporate entities, and community groups. Our CEO and COO are constantly working to foster closer ties between existing partners and to create new collaborations with other partners. 2. We belong to the Young Audiences Arts for Learning national network of affiliated arts-in-education organizations across the United States. We regularly consult with our national organization and other YA affiliates. 3. We promote awareness through a monthly newsletter, blog articles, and postings on our social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 4. Advocacy includes participation in National Arts in Education Week in September when we promote the value of arts education; celebrating National YA Week in April to raise awareness and support for arts in education; writing letters to Virginia lawmakers supporting arts funding; and advocating for the arts to local officials.

During the pandemic, we adapted a mindset of not only surviving but thriving, while staying true to our mission. To that end, we have continued to adapt to an environment where restrictions have kept our artists from performing and teaching in many schools. We expanded after-school programming initiatives as we formed new partnerships with community organizations, and we developed more programming for area libraries and non-school venues, such as a summer family performance series at a local museum that featured dozens of our artists. We also realigned our staffing to better reflect our needs; we hired a former educator to strengthen the “learning” part of our mission, which has resulted in new and expanded relationships with our educator partners. Our programming in the form of residencies and workshops has increased significantly thanks to investing in staff capacity; we believe these services provide the greatest opportunity for our artists to connect with and impact children.