Wednesday, September 30, 2009

New Website Feature: "5 Things"

If you've been to our new website recently, you may have noticed a fun new gadget at the bottom of our homepage. Our staff, board, artists and providers are all residents, parents and students just like you, so we thought we'd get our heads together and try to help you find fun, creative ways to spend your days. Rather than throw ALL that information into one big list, we decided to break it up into smaller lists of "5 Things" - 5 Things to DO, 5 Things to TRY...you get the picture.

Then we decided to take it one step further and add some unique content. To that end, we've had our staff collaborate on a how-to guide for museum visiting; had several Board members help us make a list of ways to advocate for the arts; and created a primer for the new SLANT 45 program. You can check all of those lists out in our Archive.

This week's topic is 5 Things To Do This Weekend in Dallas - including visiting the State Fair (we even found deals to make it cheaper!), riding on the McKinney Streetcars through uptown and checking out programs and classes as well as books at the Dallas Public Library. We're sure you've found plenty of fun (& free!) things to do in Dallas, so we want to open this one up to collaboration from YOU: what are YOUR weekend family plans? Got anything free or low-cost that you're attending? Let us know - and stay tuned for next week's topic: 5 Things To Write, featuring writing activities and exercises used by Big Thought artist Will Richey!


Friday, September 25, 2009

Photo Friday - SLANT 45 Announcement pics!

Former Pres. George Bush, Emmitt Smith, Jordin Sparks and hundreds of DFW Metroplex middle-school students! Enjoy!





Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Slant 45 kicks off with a BANG!

There's a new DFW service-learning partnership under way - with Big Thought at the helm!
We were chosen by the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee to form an unprecedented yearlong education partnership. Named Slant 45, this project promises to be one of the largest community-wide service-learning programs for children in U.S. history.

We kicked off Slant 45 on September 21st with a press conference at Cowboys Stadium. In attendance were Super Bowl MVPs and famous Cowboys football players like Roger Staubach, Daryl Johnston, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Cliff Harris. The football greats were joined by Former President George Bush and his wife, Laura, NFL Senior Director of Events Frank Supovitz, Richard Holt, President of Bank of America Dallas, North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee CEO Bill Lively and our very own Gigi Antoni, President/CEO of Big Thought - as well as several hundred DFW Metroplex students anxious to learn what this new project is all about (and get some free lunch from Chick-fil-a!). There was even a special guest - American Idol 2007 winner Jordin Sparks sang a few songs and energized the crowd!

More about the project:
  • Slant 45 stands for "Service-Learning Adventures in North Texas," in cooperation with Super Bowl 45 - and it's also the term for a popular play used by the Dallas Cowboys in the 90s!
  • The purpose of Slant 45 is to inspire local kids to research community service opportunities in their neighborhoods and submit a project. What makes it a service-learning project is the opportunity that those students will have to reflect on what they've accomplished and the impact it's had not only on the community, but also on themselves.
  • Big Thought is developing a curriculum and method for researching, choosing and reflecting on projects. It will be available for students and group leaders when the project actually begins in early January 2010.
  • Slant 45 is mainly for student groups and classes around grades 3-5, though other age groups are certainly welcome. We hope to affect 20,000+ students all across the DFW Metroplex, inspiring them to commit to upwards of 45,000 hours of community service.
Want to know even MORE? We've collected articles and blog posts about the announcement on our News & Media page, and the Slant 45 website is also available with more information on how to get involved.

Help us help kids to make a BIG difference in their community!


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Going GREEN!

Big Thought is going GREEN! In an effort to save the environment, we have cut down on our printing budget by making more of our interactions available online. Join our mailing list to receive e-newsletters and special email event invitations; order programs through our online catalog; and visit us elsewhere on the web - like twitter, facebook, MySpace, YouTube and flickr - to hear the latest news, see photos and video and give us feedback!



Friday, September 11, 2009

Photo Friday!

Time for another Photo Friday! Today's slideshow: Creative Solutions summer '09 students performing at Thanksgiving Square.





Thursday, September 10, 2009

Day 1 of Thriving Minds After-School

The Thriving Minds After-School program kicked off its second year Aug. 31 at 20 Dallas ISD elementary and middle schools. The program offers free after-school care to more than 2,000 students in grades K-8, and was a huge hit last year. Each school is staffed with a Community Site Manage, Assistant Site Manager and Creative Site Guides who provide students with homework help, academic tutoring and fun enrichment activities.

We’ll soon launch an additional Thriving Minds After-School program in South Dallas through generous funding from Chase. Expect to see Thriving Minds After-School programs at every Dallas ISD elementary and middle school over the next several years.

Check out Day 1 of the after-school program at Twain Elementary:




Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Reflections on the Conference Call with Arne Duncan

It was exciting to participate in the conference call arranged by The NAMM Foundation and the Support Music Coalition on Tuesday, August 18th, with the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan.

Arts education advocates have become used to hearing leadership at agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Education Partnership or Americans for the Arts speak on the value and critical need for arts education in our country. But I had to pinch myself as I listened to the United States Secretary of Education emphasize the national Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)which defines arts as a core subject, how arts play critical roles in extended day education, and also about how the arts have significant impact in the developmental and learning process for all children.

He reiterated ways that school districts can use funding from the Department of Education to support arts education in many ways. Examples are Title I funds, Title II funds, the Department’s grants for model development and dissemination – and the list goes on. Equally important are the funds that are sent to state governments to support arts education. Secretary Duncan emphasized the importance of advocating to our state agencies; support for arts education must be strong at the state and local level as well.

Big Thought was a sponsor of the second Dallas Arts Advocacy Day event just two days after that phone call with Secretary Duncan. We met and conversed with arts advocates and administrators from all over the city to discuss new and better ways to encourage our patrons and program participants to advocate for the arts in their lives. Economic impact studies done on the arts both nationally and locally make their value plain to see; it’s now up to us to use what we’ve learned to inspire others to take up the charge.

Nancy Webb
Vice President, Organizational Advancement
Big Thought