In conjunction with the Seattle Housing Authority and the Children's Museum of Seattle, which has worked extensively with youth since 1988, the Rainier Vista public housing community runs a year-round Arts Program for its young residents. The Program is designed to enable children and youth from culturally diverse backgrounds to stretch their minds, muscles and imaginations in surroundings that stimulate creativity and build self-confidence and cultural understanding. Children come and go as they wish. However, they are asked to finish at least one project before leaving. During the school year, the after-school Rainier Vista Arts Program offers children hands-on experience in the visual, performing and literary arts supplemented with field trips to museums, libraries, cultural institutions, galleries and artistsÌ studios. The Program focuses on the arts of specific cultures and brings in guest artists, actors, musicians and dancers to instruct the children and to help develop exhibits and performances. In the 11-week summer program, students are provided with breakfast and lunch and participate in discipline-specific classes. Each week a new discipline is explored, with participants taking related field trips to learn about the practical applications of the art form. The Program has been cited by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as a model for public housing communities. It receives funds from the Seattle Housing Authority's Public Housing Drug Elimination Program