As a high school music and drama teacher for more than two decades, I saw firsthand how involvement in arts programs became a lifeline for many students, providing them a sense of belonging, giving them a creative outlet to process difficult emotions, connecting them with caring, consistent adults, and offering them a pro-social activity in which to participate during after-school hours. Because I was already volunteering with Crosswalk, a faith-based organization I had co-founded in the 90’s to work with youth inside juvenile detention facilities, we organized and launched a pilot called Common Ground to take the arts behind the razor wire in 2007. Guest artists were brought in regularly for six to eight weeks to teach classes in dance, drama, music, and visual art, culminating with a performance and art gallery to which parents, state officials, facility staff, and non-participating youth were invited. The concept of ARTreach 180 was born as a natural extension of that effort after two years of program evaluation indicated positive results across the board. It was during those two years that we also began researching evidence-based programs to analyze and compare prevention vs. intervention strategies. It soon became clear that since our intervention program had seen significant results with youth who were already incarcerated, it was likely that a prevention program with youth in the community who were on probation or considered “at risk” would yield similar results and reduce or eliminate their involvement in future delinquent behavior.
The pilot of the ARTreach 180 program took place in 2010 at Patrick Henry Academy, in Stockbridge, Georgia, targeting students ages 13-17 who were referred by teachers, school social workers, counselors, or juvenile court. This site was chosen because as the alternative school in the county, it offered no after-school activities for students who had been expelled from their regular schools. With more than 75% of juvenile crime and victimization occurring statistically between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on schooldays, it only made sense to fill that gap. With a growing staff of paid professionals and trained volunteers in three locations, ARTreach 180 continues today, meeting twice a week from 3:30 to 6:30 pm to provide a safe space for teens to belong in a pro-social environment, to share their struggles, to learn new skills in the arts, and to embrace a new vision for their futures, all built on a foundation of deep, authentic relationships.
After ten years in the trenches with adolescents, we can unequivocally affirm our original theory of change as outcomes from the program have been significant. More than 94% of our students self-report that they learn to resolve conflicts and express their emotions more appropriately than when they first began the program, and the recidivism rate for our youth on probation is less than 7% compared to the national average of more than 50% coming out of lock-up. The cost for each youth to participate in the program in our county for ONE SCHOOL YEAR is less than $1500 as compared to the average cost of $309.21 PER DAY in our state’s detention facilities, almost $113,000 annually.* More impact at less than 2% of the cost tends to be a game-changer with policymakers and corporate or foundation sponsors.
The "Why Art" section serves as the introduction to explain its purpose in the big picture. While each part of the entire curriculum can be effectively used independently or to supplement other programs, we have found Aristotle’s assertion to be conclusive: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Even the “Family Mealtime,” where staff and students gather around the same table and have face-to-face conversations over a meal or snack, is a vital relationship-building part of our time together. It has also provided a way for us to engage our community with many local restaurants, businesses, and churches graciously providing food for the program to help us reduce costs. Many students who were resistant to the program activities at first have been won over by a few good meals together.
This is not easy work, folks, by any stretch, but I am convinced it is some of the most impactful work on the planet. In a society where image is everything and shame runs rampant, teenagers are crying to be heard, to be seen, and to be truly known. Their social media smiles belie their fundamental need to connect and be real with peers and adults they can trust. That’s where the magic happens—where they take the first step in the journey of self-discovery—and one by one the bricks in their walls come down. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to change the world—one student at a time. Thousands of kids need a hero who is strong enough to go the distance, to dive deep, and never give up. So go ahead. Adjust your cape, and let’s get started!
* Sticker Shock 2020: The Cost of Youth Incarcertaion. Justice Policy Institute, Washington, D.C.
July, 2020.
State data sources available online at
https://justicepolicyinstitute.box.com/s/i830t7hw58t6h7tj02qu4fdp8a755w2u
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