Unity Performing Arts Foundation

Growth & Sustainability Capacity Building Initiative

Introduction:

The UNITY family is experiencing a real sense of joy as we look toward what our future possibilities can, and will, be as we seize the opportunity to rise up and become a major beacon of hope for the youth of this community, country and around the world.

Unity Performing Arts Foundation, founded by Marshall White in 2000, launched a very comprehensive vision plan, which took seven years to draft, design and plan. The inspiration came from the desire to create a fully holistic artistic and youth development platform that would empower and impact the lives of young people, while exposing them to an innovative artistic outlet. This unique concept was a glimpse into the future of what the community arts platforms in the 21st century would begin to look like for families of various backgrounds.

The organization is now fifteen years old, and has followed the vision plan and goals that were designed and set back in 1997. In order for us to see the entire vision come full scale within the next 10 years, we as an organization decided to launch The Growth & Sustainability Project. This project will first take a thorough look at the organization’s infrastructure, operations, systems, administration and programming, and make recommendations to improve, build and strengthen the overall operational structure of UNITY.

The Growth & Sustainability Capacity Building Initiative: Will be made up of an aggregate of ad hoc projects and committees. The projects are broken into short-term assignments, plans, tasks, programs, ideas, and concepts, requiring several brainstorming sessions, planning meetings, training sessions, and workshops. Several committees will need to be formed to get the initiative started, plan the structure of the work to be done and a schedule for that work to be done, and to keep the initiative on tasks, on budget, managed and on schedule. We will need to hire or secure the services of a leader for each committee or an overall leader that can oversee and guide the initiative from start to finish. There will also be a need to secure the services and expertise of professionals from both the for-profit and non-profit business communities. These professionals will serve as advisors, consultants, volunteers, and contractors in multiple capacities and committees, helping to guide the organization as it plans to move forward in bringing the vision full scale.

An Overview of the UNITY’S Vision Plan – A vision for the entire community

Phase One: Launching Six Main Artistic Programs – Choral Programs, Creative Writing, Oratory, Dance, Drama and Instrument Music –

Phase Two: Launch an Artistic Training Institute in multiple artistic disciplines (The Arts Institute). Provide private and group classes for students that would like to develop their artistic abilities in a more refining way. These classes will be held throughout the week, during the entire year.

Phase Three: Implementing Effective Youth Development and Arts Educational Programs:                  

Providing character building, leadership training , career planning, business and corporative exposure, skills development and many more opportunities to

Phase Four: Includes Building Unity Center for the Arts and Youth Development in downtown Fort Wayne: This vision to build a state of the art facility for children, youth and families is our community has the potential to become an iconic beacon of hope for after school and pre-college development programming around the country that’s noted for building great young minds.

Phase Five: Includes Launching The UNITY model throughout the United States: Spreading this after-school, substance based model through this country, provides an effective solutions for communities that are looking for organizations that can have impact in the lives of youth, not just provide off the street activities that merely keep youth occupied. The UNITY model provides empowerment for youth that shapes them into productive, disciplined, focused and prepared young leaders ready to face future challenges and changes.

The goals of The Growth & Sustainability Capacity Building Initiative are to:

1. Assess and evaluate the current state of the organization in various areas.
2. Prepare the organization to fully launch the entire vision plan.
3. Expand the capacity and increase the impact of UNITY by bringing on “A” Players.
4. Making the organization attractive to high-profile professionals for the purpose of increasing volunteer and financial support.
5. Design a strong marketing brand that will educate, inform and enlighten more people about UNITY.
6. Position the organization to be a powerful national model in the area of Arts and Youth Development.
7. Develop and strengthen several vital areas of UNITY for the purpose of sustaining and solidifying the organization’s existence for years and decades to come.

This initiative is designed to guide UNITY as we look to bring our vision to full scale within the next 3 to 10 years. There has been an immeasurable amount of time and perseverance invested into the concept of UNITY in the last 15 years of solid execution. The UNITY model must now come forth and be presented as an after-school authority on substance based programming that offers effective youth development for children of all ages and backgrounds.

Unity Performing Arts Foundation has presented a bold vision for the future to the city of Fort Wayne. We challenge our community to embrace a concept for youth that is unique, cutting-edge, innovative and life-enhancing. The transformational impact of this concept can, and will, have a lasting impression on the lives of young people around the globe for decades to come. Come be part of something BIG and BOLD.