Columbus Arts Connects Communities

Through a series of fortunate events, The Preservation Project grew from the ground up into an initiative developed to build youth civic engagement through experiential service-learning while integrating the arts with community outreach and education. Empowering youth to be leaders in the community while developing their sense of altruism is paramount. Co-founder Angie Leonard states, "By strengthening the bond between youth and their surrounding community, while educating about real social issues in the world… we build on the students' ability to autonomously be proactive in taking actions to create positive change."

The Preservation Project embarked on the planning of their very first service-learning expedition at the beginning of 2011. They organized a plan of action for fund raising (which included the recording of a benefit CD by local artists), put together a team of top educators in the community, and had students from a local Early College High School fill out applications to be a part of the first service learning expedition, Operation NOLA. The Operation NOLA expedition was a huge success. The Project mobilized 14 Columbus students to New Orleans for one week to rebuild homes and feed the hungry. Upon their return at the end of April, they have been planning their next move toward fund raising and future service-learning expeditions in hopes of continuing a national outreach and industry collaboratives.

The response from the community, the students, and their families has been overwhelming. People are recognizing the need to step away from conventional methods of education, and putting more emphasis on service-learning. Project participants are thankful for the response they have received, but are working hard to create a lasting awareness of the service-learning movement.