Over the last 25 years, the number of arts and culture communities and creative economies around the country that have experienced the devastating impact of a large-scale human-made or natural disaster has risen dramatically. Whenever catastrophic events have occurred, there have been enormous, and often permanent losses. With support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Coalition of Arts’ Preparedness & Emergency Response (NCAPER) is developing the Crisis Analysis & Mitigation (CAM) Coaching Program for Arts Responders to be a nationwide network of arts responders trained by AIR Institute to coach distressed communities in developing or expanding mitigation efforts using the arts and creativity. Rather than waiting for another disaster to occur, NCAPER’s CAM network coaches will be able to work with affected communities as part of the mitigation process to be better prepared for the next disaster. Adapting the AIR Institute’s values, and training workshop design tailored for arts responders, CAM Coach training, will focus on arts responders’ learning and practicing techniques of facilitating diverse community groups. The training will approach community recovery through the development of creative responses designed to mitigate future disasters and build preparedness. Arts responders will use techniques for guiding groups to develop their own unique and creative ways for reducing the risk that recurrent disasters pose to their communities.

With assistance from Regional Arts Organizations (RAO), NCAPER and AIR Institute personnel selected twelve exceptional people (two from each of the six (6) areas served by the RAOs) to become the first CAM coaches.

CAM Pilot participants will be trained to:

Convene traditional and non-traditional artists and arts organizations, emergency response leaders and diverse underserved local groups and communities to work together to develop mitigation improvements.
Deliver and facilitate two types of community workshops that will increase collaboration and diversity of participation and effectiveness of direct aid and service in times of crisis.
Connect to national arts preparedness, disaster, and emergency resources.
Represent their regions in national readiness and mitigation networking activities and build readiness within their regions.