NB Plan

Although we live in a country very different from Venezuela, the circumstances which can lead to social exclusion for children are largely the same; as are the benefits from playing in an orchestra, which can counter them.

The fact is, too many children remain left out in the society, with devastating consequences in their lives today and in the future.  Furthermore, the slow pace of change leaves thousands of New Brunswick children by the wayside.  We simply can’t let that continue, generation after generation.

For 12 years, Sistema New Brunswick has demonstrated that children’s lives and their entire life trajectories can be transformed through this free after-school orchestral music program.

After more than a decade, indisputable impact  

Established in 2009, this free program now operates from nine centres, and serves 1,100 children daily, with proven impact among children, families and communities.

For three hours daily after school, children learn instruments and perform orchestral music together, a powerful experience of inclusion and a catalyst for transformational growth. Among hundreds of children a year, grades improve and behavioural concerns decline. The first Sistema NB students are now in university, and much better equipped for their chosen careers.

The strategy:

• A 15-year horizon
• ’10,000 Children’ Campaign, an investment of $12 million by leading donors over next 3-5 years, and spent over a 15-year period
• Annual energetic private-sector fundraising in Sistema NB communities
• Annual investment by the Government of New Brunswick

The plan: we intend to open;

• Five new centres
• Two satellite centres
• Two additional regional youth orchestras
• A new in-school program
• Engaging 6,500 more children in core programming and
• 4,000 in ensembles.

Outcomes:

• Greatly increases the number of children served per year
• Deepens support from the private sector
• Requires no increase in provincial support
• Makes Sistema NB more sustainable

Impact:

• More communities, more children
• Double participation – from 1,000 to 2,000 children daily
• A total of more than 10,000 individual children in 15 years
• Generational change 

Fifteen years is a time horizon for which we can:

• Reasonably project the ongoing need
• Envision the evolution of Sistema NB as an effective response, and
• Expect ongoing significant impact

Turning away from our children cannot be our option

Including more children in what Sistema NB offers is a compassionate, humane, and just response to the deprivation of New Brunswick children who, without an intervention, will be left out today and marginalized for the rest of their lives.

Sistema NB makes a difference.

Let’s engage 10,000 more children.