Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Impact Of Creative Arts On At-Risk Youth, Kasey Jacques, John Seipel, Nyairah Abdullah, Trelijah Miller

Education Presentations at National and International Conferences

The purpose of our study was to reflect on how community-based cultural arts programs have impacted academic achievement, academic performance and self-esteem among youth, aged 13 to 24 years old. Community-based cultural arts offer a creative medium through which youths direct their energy toward achieving positive social, emotional, and academic outcomes (Wright, John, Alaggia, & Sheel, 2006). Our study took an approach known as “Positive Youth Development (PYD).” According to Ersing (2009, page 27), “(PYD) is a promising approach that rejects labeling young people as “at risk” for a host of social, emotional, and behavioral problems and instead embraces a …