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Nonprofit Spotlight
Nonprofit Spotlight
Phoenix International Incorporated is a Maryland-based nonprofit that designs in-person and metaverse/web3 educational experiences for K-12 students. The educational experiences are created to be relevant, motivating, creative, and inspiring. Like the phoenix, the nonprofit believes that all youth can rise above their circumstances and reach their greatest potential. The organization embraces this quote from the film director and screenwriter Jennifer Lee: “Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.”
Phoenix International was founded in 2020. Since then, the nonprofit has reached hundreds of Charles County families through its direct-service arts education programming. The organization also operates Charles County’s first arts and innovation public middle school, Phoenix International School of the Arts (PISOTA).
PISOTA is the first-ever approved public charter school in Charles County, Maryland. It is also the only school in the region that combines a pre-professional arts conservatory with an international curriculum. At the charter school, students will choose and study a focus area in dance, music, voice, theatre, visual arts, or museum studies and new media. Studying these subjects will let the students “learn about themselves, [the] world, and ideas in ways that build onto traditional core subjects, like reading, science, and history.”
PISOTA aims to “prepare young people for leadership in a global and creative world with arts-education, every day.” The school also seeks to “bring a globally-minded perspective” to everything taught. PISOTA was created based on the belief that “when students understand the many perspectives impacting our world, they are better positioned to tackle complex problems and design innovative solutions to improve our world.” PISOTA is currently enrolling its founding scholars for the 2023-2024 school year. Apply by December 16, 2022.
The organization’s signature arts programs have motivated young people to use their gifts for social good. The DREAM Academy program focuses on visual arts. Beats, Bars, and Social Justice, in partnership with MuMu Fresh, focuses on music education. Another direct service arts program operated by the organization is The Southern Maryland Youth Poet Laureate; this program celebrates the power of youth leadership, civic engagement, and creativity.
The ultimate goal for Phoenix International is to create local and global partnerships that advance and enhance the educational landscape of rural America’s most marginalized parts. Through its research-driven educational partnerships, the organization will help raise awareness and support key educational programming in these regions, to include: student programming, family programming, and teacher development.
Learn more about Phoenix International School of the Arts: pisota.org
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