About CCAP

Since 1998, the Center for Community Arts Partnerships (CCAP) at Columbia College Chicago has been transforming the lives of thousands of Chicago's young people through its unique approach to college-community partnership building.  Founded on a mission to link the academic departments of Columbia College Chicago with diverse communities throughout the city, CCAP brings the concepts of community-based learning, arts-integrated curricula and reciprocal partnerships into the spotlight.  It unites artists, educators, students, corporations, schools and community-based organizations to form meaningful, sustainable partnerships in the arts. 
 
At the heart of it all lies a commitment to improve the quality of education through a vision of collaboration in the arts and an emphasis on the value that civic engagement brings to student learning.  The result is a practice that recognizes the unique needs and expertise of each partner, an approach based on mutual trust, respect, inclusiveness and voice. 

Rather than simply designing outreach projects, CCAP develops and implements arts education programming that cultivates ongoing relationships -  true partnerships - among Columbia College, public schools and community-based organizations.  Over the years, CCAP has developed a range of innovative, quality, arts-based programs from its public school initiatives like Community Schools, Project AIM and Saturday Scholars, to its Urban Missions program and Arts in Youth and Community Development graduate program. 

CCAP's programs and initiatives provide an invaluable experience of community as the larger classroom for all participants, ensuring that knowledge flows both ways between college and community.