Thursday, November 11, 2010

At the CORE....

"At the core is the belief that every child can excel"

We are building a new world based on this idea. In the discussions that take place around our conference table, the use of negatives is rare. We talk about the future, we talk about possibilities, we talk about strategies and how to implement them.  The work we are about to dive into calls for a great deal of self-assessment and planning. We are talking about impacting the world, specifically the world of children. At the core is the belief that every child can excel, and this is why we are determined and dedicated to see El Sistema USA succeed.

This week we have been hearing about case-for-need documents, delphi survey techniques, contracts, funders, capacity building, and social entrepreneurialship. We have been talking about cost-per-child, return-on-investment, and program benefits. The through-line that makes sense of all of this is always clear to us: we want our programs to have successful impact on the community. El Sistema USA is building that successful track record, from garnering funds at both the local and national levels to getting communities involved with students and parents signing up. Our partnership possibilities are endless. We can partner with  public and charter schools, local youth orchestras, institutions of higher education, and even symphony orchestras.

Our goals are clear and our vision accessible.  TUNE UP Philly is an El Sistema inspired program in partnership with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and their mission is this:

"We believe that music education is a powerful vehicle for children to master skills that will enable them to acquire valuable tools for cooperative learning, teamwork, academic success and self-esteem."

And.....at the core is the belief that every child can excel

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