When school budgets are stressed, cuts to extracurricular activities are a too frequent occurrence. As a result, it’s become more difficult for New Jersey school children to get exposure to the arts, especially arts from different and diverse cultures.
With the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s (NJPAC) Verizon Passport to Culture Series, students are introduced to the arts with programs that feature world-class artists from a wide variety of traditions. Performances of music, dance, storytelling, theater, puppetry, and more ignite the imagination and lay the groundwork to cultivate lifelong enthusiasts for the arts. Productions are linked to curriculum areas such as world languages, social studies and language arts and are appropriate for a broad range of ages.
"As the founding sponsor of NJPAC's Verizon Passport to Culture SchoolTime and FamilyTime series, Verizon has brought the gift of live theater, dance, music, and poetry to thousands of New Jersey youngsters for fifteen years," said John Schreiber, NJPAC's president and CEO. "Verizon's support of NJPAC goes far beyond good corporate citizenship. It has been evident since Day One that they care deeply about culture, education, and the quality of life for the people of New Jersey."
Through Verizon’s three-year sponsorship, the program provides an introduction and ongoing opportunities for tens of thousands of New Jersey’s children and families to participate in the performing arts, and also assists educators in meeting the New Jersey Department of Education’s Core Curriculum Content Standards with performances and workshops that extend learning from the performance to the classroom.
Teacher's Resource Guides are created for each production of the Verizon Passport to Culture Series. The guide provides discussion ideas, activities and reading resources that promote arts literacy. One additional resource that is highlighted in these guides is Verizon’s Thinkfinity.org online education tool that provides comprehensive teaching and learning resources.
"It is a distinct honor to help the NJPAC bring even more educational, entertaining and life-enhancing arts and music programming to young men and women from around the region," said Dennis Bone, president of Verizon New Jersey. “We are always proud to partner with key nonprofit organizations throughout New Jersey to be a positive force for change in communities in greatest need."
Located in downtown Newark, NJPAC is the sixth largest performing arts center in the United States. It brings diverse communities together, providing access to world class artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of the city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is helping to shape the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted over 6 million visitors, including more than one million children, since opening in 1997.
