Youth Development

Background

There are an abundance of theories — and even more clichés — about why the arts should be in young people's lives. However, academically rigorous research that demonstrates the power of the arts is scarce. This article summarizes a decade of research by a team of anthropologists in after-school programs identified by young people themselves as high quality. The researchers found common characteristics that made these programs successful, whether their focus was academic, sport, community service, or the arts. The balance of these characteristics differs among programs, though.

To Protect the Powerless in the Digital Age
An Open Letter to Foundations: To Protect the Interests of the Powerless in the Digital Age, Communications Researchers Need Your Support

The "open letter" has a number of signers.
August 12, 1998. 33 pages. The Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy, 818 18th Street, N.W. Suite 810, Washington, D.C. 20006, 202-887-0301, forum[at]civilrightsforum.org.

2004, 42 pages. Marwen, 833 North Orleans St., Chicago, IL, 60610, 312-944-2418, www.marwen.org

Anyone who works (or lives) in the circle of adolescents can appreciate the complexity of developing effective arts programs for teens. Fuel documents the essential characteristics of one such program at Marwen, a Chicago cultural organization that provides high-quality visual arts instruction, college planning, and career development to young people (grades six to twelve) free of charge during out of school time.

2003, 83 pages. Published by National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture, 145 Ninth Street, Suite 250, San Francisco, CA, 94103, 415-431-1391, namac@namac.org, www.namac.org

Download Report: www.namac.org/youth-media-report

2002, 198 pages. Published by Subway and Elevated Press, PO Box 19742, New Orleans, LA, 70179

Future 500 is a directory of over five hundred youth activist organizations throughout the United States. It also features brief biographies of twenty-five exemplary young activists, and a glossary of youth-defined terms that is an eye-opener.

In a crowded auditorium at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, funders, community activists, and artists gathered in March to listen to a panel discussion on hip-hop activism in the Bay Area. The goal of Constant Elevation: The Rise of Bay Area Hip-Hop Activism was twofold: to inform and educate funders about hip-hop activism and how it fits into foundation support, and to highlight local best practices that use Hip Hop as a framework.

Spring 2002, 43 pages. Surdna Foundation, 330 Madison Avenue, 30th floor, New York, NY 10017-5001, 212-557-0010, powerfulvoices@surdna.org

In early 2001, Emc.Arts completed its two-volume review of five years of the Surdna Foundation's arts program grants with the catchy title, "Evaluation of the Surdna Foundation Arts Program: Investigation and Diagnostic Findings." This spring, Surdna did us all a service by providing a useful distillation of its findings in an economical, easy-to-read report, Powerful Voices

2002, 32 pages. U.S. President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 526, Washington, D.C., 202-682-5409, 202-682-5668 fax.

As a company built on creative expression, Hallmark Cards has maintained a longstanding commitment to supporting the arts. Hallmark's charitable contributions come from the profits of Hallmark Cards, Inc., and from the Hallmark Corporate Foundation, an endowed foundation funded solely by Hallmark Cards. During the year 2000, arts and culture philanthropy totaled $2,173,897 or 23 percent of the company's overall charitable program.