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Part of the Solution: Creative Alternatives for Youth

NCJ Number
152982
Editor(s)
L Costello
Date Published
1995
Length
96 pages
Annotation
This booklet describes programs that illustrate the positive difference made in the lives of children and their families by artists, arts organizations, and community groups with assistance from the National Endowment for the Arts, the 56 State and jurisdictional arts agencies, and the seven regional arts organizations.
Abstract
The programs described show that disciplined and creative work in music, dance, theater, visual arts, folk arts, film and video, literature, and design can help instill values, create pride in cultural heritage, and foster self-esteem. The States represented in the programs described are Maryland, Arizona, Vermont, California, Louisiana, South Carolina, Colorado, Rhode Island, Oregon, Texas, and Virginia. A Maryland program teaches self-expression and instills self-confidence through dance. An Arizona program involves a partnership of artists, private enterprise professionals, prosecutors, law enforcement officials, and educators in helping youth reject drugs through after-school arts programs. In California, an arts program helps mend rifts in the community caused by social and economic unrest, and in Louisiana, a program develops creative and business skills through an arts guild for teens.