NATIONAL ARTS PUBLICATION DATABASE (NAPD)
Something to Say: Success Principles for Afterschool Arts Programs From Urban Youth and Other Experts

Author: Montgomery, Denise; Rogovin, Peter; and Persaud, Neromanie R.

Publication Year: 2013

Media Type: Report

Summary:

Something to Say: Success Principles for Afterschool Arts Pro-grams from Urban Youth and Other Experts endeavors to an-swer these questions. The primary way we approached this project was by seeing youth as consumers of OST activities, and taking many of our questions directly to them. In our research we spoke to young people in their neighborhoods and homes, interviewed researchers and youth development practitioners, visited highly effective programs, and combed the research to address some of the key knowledge gaps in the field of OST arts activities for urban, low-income tweens and teens. [Executive Summary, p. 11]

Abstract:

Engagement in the arts can help youth in myriad ways: as a vehicle for self-expression, acquiring skills, and developing focus and teamwork. Unfortunately, with the decline of arts education in public schools, few urban, low-income young people have high-quality, engaging arts experiences at school. Alternatives outside of school, such as private lessons or arts camps, are typically limited to children of families with the resources and savvy to get access to them. What narrow arts experiences low-in-come youth have are often dull arts and crafts projects where they are instructed to follow a prototype, rather than create something from their own imagination.

Consequently, many urban, low-income youth grow up without even a cursory understanding of what high-quality arts programs are like, or what benefits may accrue from par-ticipation. Even when there is awareness or interest in out-of-school time (OST) arts programs, many young people choose other activities for a variety of reasons. Further, com-munity groups often report a steep drop-off in teen OST engagement and participation. That finding points to the importance of captivating young people’s interest prior to the teen years when, as tweens,1 they are more willing to try new OST activities. However, many OST programs are not designing or promoting their arts programs in ways that will be particularly engaging to tweens.

This set of challenges led The Wallace Foundation to ask:

  • How can urban, low-income tweens and teens gain equal access to high-quality arts experiences?
  • Is there a model of practices that could provide a blueprint for community-based organizations to emulate, so that proven approaches could be deployed in more places, more often
  • Is there a way to approach the analysis of these problems that respects and honors the young people as consumers who make informed choices? And how do the insights of what tweens and teens want align with what other experts say they need?

Something to Say: Success Principles for Afterschool Arts Pro-grams from Urban Youth and Other Experts endeavors to an-swer these questions. The primary way we approached this project was by seeing youth as consumers of OST activities, and taking many of our questions directly to them. In our research we spoke to young people in their neighborhoods and homes, interviewed researchers and youth development practitioners, visited highly effective programs, and combed the research to address some of the key knowledge gaps in the field of OST arts activities for urban, low-income tweens and teens. [Executive Summary, p. 11]

Along with the report an Infographic and Knowledge Brief were created.

Arts & Intersections: Lifelong Learning, Youth Education

Categories: Visual Art, Creative Youth Development, Arts Education

ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

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Pages: 136

Resources: Document

PUBLISHER INFORMATION

Name: The Wallace Foundation

Website URL: http://www.wallacefoundation.org