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SOURCE: Joan Andrek, Marketing and Media Relations,407-299-5000, ext. 1016;
The Prometheus Project earns third consecutive year of funding
Valencia Community College’s “Prometheus Project” was recently awarded its third consecutive grant from The Florida Humanities Council (FHC) in St. Petersburg. This award, effective from February 1, 2005-January 31, 2006, will help The Prometheus Project continue in its efforts to bring college-level Humanities education to the multi-generational poor of Orlando and Central Florida. The Prometheus Project is also funded in part by Valencia Community College, The Ripple Effect, Best Cleaners, and the Wells'Built Museum of African American History and Culture. The Prometheus Project focuses on the “underserved” of the metro-Orlando area, including those who are homeless or formerly homeless, who reside in temporary shelters for men and/or women, or who are among the “working poor.” The Prometheus Project is based on the work of author Earl Shorris, who taught a college-level humanities course at Bard College in New York State, to a class of poor immigrants, ex-convicts, single mothers, recovering addicts, homeless people and a person dying of AIDS, with the main entrance requirement being the ability to read the newspaper. Shorris’ project, called the Clemente Course in the Humanities, focused on giving participants life skills such as critical thinking, assertiveness and improved self-esteem, skills they could learn through lessons in the humanities. Shorris believed the old adage “knowledge is power,” and that a liberal education was part of the journey from poverty to something better. He tested his idea and found it to be successful, with 50 percent of the students completing the course and many going on to college or jobs. The grant from the Florida Humanities Council will assist Valencia with providing two humanities courses this spring, to be offered at the Coalition for the Homeless on Central Boulevard, and the Center for Drug-Free Living, located on North Mercy Drive. The Florida Humanities Council is an independent, non-profit organization and is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Each year, FHC funds hundreds of public programs throughout the state that explore Florida’s history, folklore, environment, literature, music, and art. Libraries, civic groups, universities, colleges and museums, historical societies and theaters have received grants to sponsor humanities programs. For more information on The Prometheus Project, please contact project director Professor John Scolaro at 407-582-1468. To read more Valencia News, please visit http://valenciacc.edu. # # # To read more Valencia news, access our Web site at www.valenciacc.edu |
