Expanding Community Arts Engagement Programs and Partnerships in the National Defense Appropriations Act
Adopted at the 92nd Annual Meeting in 2024
WHEREAS, the nation's service members, their families and caregivers face unique health, socioeconomic, and psychosocial needs associated with the military lifestyle, in addition to stress factors confronting society as a whole; and
WHEREAS, literature on veteran and service member health and wellness shows that both groups have a higher rate of complex conditions than their civilian counterparts do; these conditions involve an intersecting combination of physical, cognitive, psychological, and behavioral health concerns (Hull et al.); and
WHEREAS, to ensure that military families have the tools and opportunities to remain strong and build resiliency and that service member are mission ready, the Department of Defense Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) program prioritizes well-being for the millions of military and civilian personnel, as well as their spouses, dependents and children, who comprise America's Defense communities; and
WHEREAS, the arts and creative arts therapies have been a part of military tradition and missions across branches supporting military health services, wellness, mission readiness and family support with demonstrable outcomes, including fostering resilience; reducing the impact of trauma; building social connectedness as well as strengthening coping skills for military members and their families. Thus, the Department of Defense has a vested interest in supporting these activities; and
WHEREAS, community arts engagement programs and partnerships play a valuable role in extending the opportunity for continued recovery and growth that may have begun as part of a clinical treatment program, as well as offer options for service members, their families and caregivers to improve their health and wellbeing outside of a clinical setting or in the context of formal treatment; and
WHEREAS, by partnering with local, state, and/or regional arts agencies or groups providing arts services, military bases benefit from being connected with all available services in their local area as well as have the ability to work with a diversity of local arts partners to design programs and provide multiple options that meet their population's specific needs; and
WHEREAS, in the FY24 Department of Defense's approved budget, $10 million was allocated to support community arts engagement programs and partnerships within the Division of Morale, Welfare and Recreation and all military services for the physical and mental health and wellbeing of service members and their families. This new funding represents a monumental step in the Department of Defense recognizing the pivotal work that the arts provide in the supporting the health and wellness of our military members and their families; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors encourages the Congress to support House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Betty McCollum's proposals to allocate at least $25 million to the Department of Defense's budget specifically for execution by the DoD's MWR program in the FY25 Defense Appropriations bill for the support and expansion of community arts programs and partnerships in all military services for the physical and mental health and wellbeing of service members and their families; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United States Conference of Mayors encourages the Congress to support opportunities to promote military readiness, recruitment, retention and resilience through the arts, by coordinating and expanding partnerships with local arts agencies and community arts organizations, and including the ability for MWR to partner with a national non-government organization to provide additional operational, program and evaluation support in expanding and improving these programs throughout the country to include locations of remote and isolated communities, as well as locations with large military populations.