YouthARTS Development Project

• NCJ Number: 186668
• Author(s): Heather J. Clawson; Kathleen Coolbaugh
• Date Published: May 2001
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): OJP-95-C-006
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

Results are reported on a national evaluation, conducted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), on the YouthARTS Development Programs, an arts-based prevention programs for at-risk youth.

Abstract

The YouthARTS Development Project was initiated in 1995 as a collaborative effort among Federal agencies, national arts organizations, and three local arts agencies: the Fulton County Arts Council in Atlanta, Georgia; the Regional Arts and Culture Council in Portland, Oregon; and the San Antonio Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs in San Antonio, Texas. The YouthARTS Development Project was designed to identify, implement, and refine effective arts-based delinquency prevention programs. With little known regarding the effectiveness of these programs on the prevention of juvenile delinquency, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) undertook an objective assessment. The national evaluation was designed as a cross-site evaluation with both process and outcome components. The process component gathered information on program implementation and operations and the outcome component assessed the extent to which the three programs had immediate and long-term positive effects on program participants. The three YouthARTS programs assessed were Art-at-Work in Georgia, Youth Arts Public Art in Oregon, and Urban smARTS in Texas. The report provides a description of each of the programs describing each program’s first year of operation, including startup activities, program goals, youth served, and program activities. A description of the evaluation process and findings for each site are also provided. The experiences of these three YouthARTS programs provide useful insights for future program operation and evaluation. Information from the evaluation helped identify common factors leading to successful program implementation that include: collaboration, skilled and qualified artists, onsite caseworkers and probation officers or counselors, comprehensive training for all program staff, a range of arts programs and services, and transportation for participants. The national evaluation of the YouthARTS Development Project has shown that providing youth with new skills, the ability to use these skills, and providing positive feedback and recognition lead to healthier attitudes and positive behavior. References