Every child is an artist!
Arts Projects
Many of us enjoy the Arts – music, theater, paintings, and other visual arts. They can make our world seem more beautiful and bring us joy and new perspective. But did you know that the Arts can have a big impact on youth development?
Research shows that exposure to the Arts can help youth to develop many positive skills and capacities that are valued by leaders and employers, such as persistence, collaboration, creative thinking, problem solving, motivation, and problem solving. In addition, studies demonstrate that Arts exposure can improve a youth confidence and academic performance.
That said, many Arts programs in schools are the first to be cut when budgets get tight. For obvious reasons, when a school is facing financial problems, the school chooses math, science, history, and English lessons over music, drawing, or theater. The problem is that schools facing these types of difficult decisions are usually those that serve children of low socio-economic status. Schools with under-served and at-risk youth may have the least resources to provide quality art programs, yet studies show that these youth are the most likely to benefit.
Research Points to Benefits of Arts Education
for At-Risk Youth
A recent study shows that teenagers and young adults of low socio-economic status, who are involved in arts activities, have better academic results, higher career goals, and better work opportunities. The study, The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies, was published in a report by the US National Endowment for the Arts.
Among the study’s key findings:
Better Academic Outcomes
Teenagers and young adults of low socioeconomic status who have a history of in-depth arts involvement show better academic outcomes than those with less arts involvement. They earn better grades and have higher rates of college enrollment and attainment.
Higher Career Goals
Students with in-depth arts involvement have markedly higher career aspirations than youth without arts backgrounds. Half of all low socio-economic status youth with high levels of involvement in arts expected to work in a professional career such as law, medicine, education, or management, compared to 21 percent of those with little arts involvement.
More Civically Enaged
Young adults who had intensive arts experiences in high school are more likely to show civic-minded behavior than young adults who did not, with comparatively high levels of volunteering, voting, and engagement with local or school politics.
"In the heart of every young person lies the potential for greatness."
Contact us Today
Let us know if your child is ready to become an artist!
Help us shape the sustainable communities of tomorrow.
- 587 557 1191
- info@cfdeorg.ca
