Youth Programs & Scholarships

Black History is Invisible to Most; Yet, Invaluable to ALL!

A Sign of the Times (ASOTT) of the Carolinas will collaborate with educational institutions, libraries, and local community groups to implement a weekly 90-minute structured and entertaining approach to learning Black history for youth (in grades 1 through 12) and their parents. This concept is based on the belief that an understanding of the “pre-enslavement history of Black folks” makes everyone a better citizen.

Program Description:
1. A multimedia in-person and web-based curriculum that incorporates dance, music, and the spoken word to share the history of Black folks.

  • Each session starts with Black Dance – where the facilitator uses a current dance (that young people know), then relates the dance to its African equivalent. (20 minutes)
  • Black Music is the next session where the facilitator presents songs (that young people know). Similar to dance, the facilitator will relate the music to similar components in traditional African music. (20 minutes)
  • The Spoken Word session consists of several 5-minute in-person & multimedia video presentations that cover epochal periods in Black History. Q/A sessions are held after each presentation. (30 minutes)
  • Self-assessment exercises in the style of Bingo or a Jeopardy TV show will allow each participant to gauge how much they learned each week. (10 minutes)

2. Duration / Location: Seven, 90-minute sessions held at the Arts Factory located at 1545 West Trade Street in Charlotte from 10 A.M. to 12 P.M. on consecutive Saturday mornings during the summer break for elementary through high school students.

3. Who should join: Any elementary, middle, or high school student – with a focus on students at Hidden Valley Elementary School, Martin Luther King Middle School, and West Charlotte High School.

(Maximum class size: 30 students – not including parents)

Scholarships

We also award the following scholarships to deserving high school graduates and first-year college students during this concert:

A. The Leroy A. Paige Music $500 Scholarship
B. The John Holloway Music $500 Scholarship
C. The DeLois Daniel Tupponce Dance $500 Scholarship 
D. The Hubert Jefferson Multi-Discipline (Acting, Music & Dance) $500 Scholarship

 

Our scholarships are funded in part our local Arts & Science Council and the Foundation of the Carolinas.