Appendix K- Wisdom From the Arts~1.pdf

Som e of the w ays the arts can support our young people

DYS ARTS INITIATIVE

p hysical and em otional w ellness social and cultural netw orks of sup p ort enriching ed ucation and acad em ics em p loym ent in a field of choice social em otional learning healing & p ersonal grow th ad vocacy tools civic engagem ent p latform s for voice & story

W e see the im portance of the arts for our young people and in our agency...

...and m ust continuously gather research from the field to inform our approach.

The A rts p ow erfully com p lem ent and ad d to young p eop les’ ‘w eb of sup p ort’, w hich is m ad e up of the ecology of ad ult relationship s in each young p erson’s life.

Relationships & a w eb of support

"Sup p ortive relationship s p rom ote p ositive acad em ic, b ehavioral, and p sychological outcom es, w hile also b uffering against negative outcom es such as sub stance ab use. Relationship s are the vehicle that p rop el ad olescent d evelop m ent forw ard

." The A rts Initiative p rovid es engaging op p ortunities across the d ifferent typ es of sup p ort - "em otional, instrum ental, inform ational, com p anionship

, and valid ation."

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Igniting the im agination The A rts ignite, em p ow er, and restore our im agination, w hich is im p ortant for every young p erson in b eing ab le to see and create their future, b ut esp ecially for young p eop le w ho have exp erienced traum a.

Traum a ed ucator Bessel van d er Kolk teaches us that

“traum a affects im agination… [and ] im agination is ab solutely critical to the q uality of our lives… Im agination gives us the op p ortunity to envision new p ossib ilities-It is an essential launch p ad for m aking our hop es com e true. It fires our creativity, relieves our b ored om alleviates our p ain, enhances our p leasure and enriches our m ost intim ate relationship

s. W ithout im agination there is no hop e, no chance to envision a b etter future, no p lace to go, no goal to reach.”

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Social & Em otional

Learning The A rts p rovid e end less op p ortunities for taking b eneficial risks in exp ression and creation⁶; m aking choices and solving p rob lem s; and introd ucing new challenges and techniq ues. These all sup p ort young p eop le in d evelop ing their “d ecision-m aking, ad ap tab ility, and p sychosocial skills.”

O ur young p eop le, w ho are ages 12 - 21, are at a p ow erful step in their b rain d evelop m ent. The ad olescent b rain need s new , curiosity-ind ucing exp eriences to form a secure sense of p lace in the w orld

. D uring these d evelop m ental years the b rain is actively w orking on form ing a sense of id entity, b uild ing autonom y, and b uild ing the “cognitive, social, and em otional skills necessary for ad ulthood

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The Creative Process & enriching education

The A rts p rovid e an arena for b uild ing soft skills w hile exercising innovation and p rob lem solving. A rts p rogram m ing continuously p resents young p eop le w ith challenges and inq uiry q uestions and asks them to com e up w ith an answ er.

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em p hasizes, “p ractice m akes p erfect, sm all d ifferences can have large effects, and collab oration lead s to creativity. The arts also [d em onstrate to stud ents that] there are several p aths to take w hen ap p roaching p rob lem s and that all p rob lem s can have m ore than one solution." ¹ The A rts are not an op tional p art of ad olescent ed ucation; they are a necessity and a hum an right, alongsid e STEM

, language arts, and state stand ard s for m id d le and high school stud ies.

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The A rts are an im p ortant p art of every ind ustry.

Psychosocial and soft skills such as p rob lem solving, d rafting and refining, innovation, attention to d etail and collab oration are im p ortant in any w orkp lace or b uild ing a new b usiness. Technical skills like d esign, p ub lic sp eaking, and cop yed iting are also in d em and across ind ustries. Sp ecialties such as tattoo artistry, grap hic d esign, p erform ance, m usic p rod uction, m ural p ainting, fashion d esign, sound d esign, and m ore are all op p ortunities in our econom ies.⁵

Em ploym ent & building soft skills

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Platform for Voice & Story Q uality arts p rogram m ing, through p rocesses of d iscovery, collab oration, and exp loration, can have lib eratory and healing im p acts on youth w ho have b een system atically m arginalized and affected b y the op p ortunity gap in arts ed ucation and ed ucation as a w hole. W ith the p latform s and ind ivid ual sup p orts the arts p rovid e, youth can exp lore p ersonal story, exercise their creativity, and honor their strengths. W ith the sup p ort of the arts, young p eop le can exam ine forces of op p ression and engage in d iscussion and ad vocacy in sup p ortive atm osp heres.²

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The arts have transform ative effects on our “hearts, m ind s, and souls.” C reative exp ression red uces stress, soothes the nervous system

, b olsters the im m une system , and p rom otes our health³. It help s us sleep red uce anxiety, and feel connected to our ind ivid ual and collective id entities. "The arts can help [young p eop le w ho have exp erienced traum a] to cop e w ith p ainful exp eriences." “M usic b ind s p eop le together w ho m ight ind ivid ually b e terrified b ut w ho collectively b ecom e p ow erful ad vocates for them selves and others. A long w ith language, d ancing, m arching and singing are uniq uely hum an w ays to install a sense of hop e and courage.”

Physical & Em otional

W ellness

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There m ust b e tim e, attention, and ad vocacy p aid to the d evelop m ent of our arts initiative and the structures and p ractices that d efine it to ensure young p eop le can access all the m agic (d escrib ed ab ove) that arts p rogram m ing offers.

For m ore im m ed iate resources, w e can reference YouthA

RTS

Best Practices for ad vice and guid elines on Elem ents of Successful Program s, Training, Evaluation, & Risk and

Protective Factors; and the A rts Ed ucation Partnership

Resource Lib rary for Juvenile Justice and the A rts as need ed

W e m ust p rioritize youth voice and the inp ut of the young p eop le in our care in d esigning, refining, and grow ing arts p rogram m ing in D

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onsistent p rogram evaluation and youth feed b ack on all elem ents of arts p rogram m ing is p ivotal for p rogram q uality and offerings. This can b e w oven into every arts resid ency, com m unity arts p rogram

, arts exp erience, the Show case, and m ore.

The DYS Arts Initiative Continues to G row

Sources ¹Am ericans for the Arts Arts Education N avigator Report, “G etting Started” sponsored by Vans Custom

Culture ²”Social Justice Fram ew ork” by Art Corps

³The Foundation for Art & H ealing, “Creative Expression Approach” ⁴W e M ust U nderstand Prom ise of Adolescent D evelopm ent to Serve Youth, by

Sandra G asca-G onzalez, Juvenile Justice Inform ation Exchange

⁵Am ericans for the Arts: “Business and Em ploym ent in the Arts, M easuring the Scope of the N ation’s Arts-Related Industries” Report ⁶Arts Education and Positive Youth D evelopm ent: Cognitive, Behavioral, and

Social O utcom es of Adolescents w ho Study the Arts, by Kenneth Elpus

Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, M ind, and Body in the

H ealing of Traum a G et Inspired: H ow

Yoga Boosts Creativity, by Riva G danski, H uffington Post YouthARTS Best Practices, Am ericans for the Arts D efining W ebs of Support: A N ew Fram ew ork to Advance U nderstanding of Relationships and Youth D evelopm ent

Arts-Based Program s and Arts Therapies for At-Risk, Justice-Involved, and

Traum atized Youth, O

JJD

P, published through AEP

Arts Education Partnership Resource Library for Juvenile Justice and the Arts 10YouthARTS Best Practices, Am ericans for the Arts