Author: Ed Spitzberg

Publication Year:

Media Type: Report

Summary:

The Creative Youth Development Landscape Analysis on Policy and Advocacy reviews literature and existing best practices on advocacy and funding across the intersecting fields of arts education, youth development, and nonprofit and civic engagement organizations, and recommendations on how they can be applied to the creative youth development field.

Abstract:

The Policy and Advocacy Landscape Analysis reviews literature and existing best practices on advocacy and funding across the intersecting fields of arts education, youth development, and nonprofit and civic engagement organizations, and recommendations on how they can be applied to the creative youth development field. Author Ed Spitzberg summarized the main finding of this literature review:

"In reviewing the practices above, five key trends become apparent:

1. Advocacy is by nature complex and hard to measure, and therefore strategies must be multi-pronged, and advocates flexible as they actively reevaluate them as the environment changes.
2. Defining the network and creating bonds and communication mechanisms among the group members is key, through convening, strong networks, etc.
3. The framing is vital—for both effectiveness and impacting the group definition (as above).
4. There is both a need for strong data and difficulty getting it.
5. Equity can often become a tangential focus or lost altogether, when it needs to be at the center."

Spitzberg recommends CYD as a field employ a "multi-pronged, flexible adovacy" approach, continued network development, "Golilocks framing" of priorities, deeper research, and centralizing equity as a priority.

Arts & Intersections: Youth Education

Categories: Creative Youth Development, Arts Education, Advocacy