ERIC ED421449: Creative Partnerships for Prevention. Using the Arts and Humanities to Build Resiliency in Youth. A Drug and Violence Prevention Resource for Schools, Cultural Organizations, and Others Working with Youth.

74 Pages·1998·1.8 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 421 449
SO 029 359
TITLE
Creative Partnerships for Prevention.
Using the Arts and
Humanities to Build Resiliency in
Youth. A Drug and Violence
Prevention Resource for Schools,
Cultural Organizations, and
Others Working with Youth.
INSTITUTION
National Endowment for the Arts,
Washington, DC.; Learning
Systems Group, Washington, DC.
SPONS AGENCY
Department of Education, Washington,
DC.
ISBN
ISBN-0-16-049564-4
PUB DATE
1998-00-00
NOTE
73p.
CONTRACT
S184U60002
AVAILABLE FROM
U.S. Government Printing Office,
Superintendent of
Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington,
DC 20402-9328.
PUB TYPE
Guides
Non-Classroom (055)
-- Reports
Descriptive (141)
EDRS PRICE
MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.
DESCRIPTORS
*Art Education; Child Welfare; *Creative
Activities;
Creative Development; Educational
Objectives; Educational
Strategies; Elementary Secondary
Education; Enrichment
Activities; Humanities; *Intervention;
Outcomes of
Education; *Partnerships in Education;
Prevention; *School
Community Relationship; Social
Development; *Student Welfare
ABSTRACT
Providing information on the
important role that the arts
and humanities can play in prevention
efforts, this document offers several
activities that draw upon the
arts and humanities to increase
young people's
resiliency. Resiliency refers
to children's ability to successfully
adapt and
develop in healthy ways, despite
exposure to risk and adversity. Building
resiliency is not something that
adults do to or for youth. Rather,
it is the
process of providing a caring environment,
creating opportunities for
young
people to contribute to their
communities, offering positive alternatives
for
free time, and helping
young people make a successful and healthy
transition
into adulthood. The arts and
humanities activities provided in
this guide are
designed to provide readers with
ideas for creating their
own innovative
learning and skill-building
activities that strengthen students'
protective
factors and help reduce the
likelihood that they will become
involved with
drugs or alcohol. These activities
are for teachers, youth-workers, parents,
artists and others who interact
with young people both in school
and during
the non-school hours
over an extended period of time. Specifically,
the
activities incorporate creative
activities (murals, journal writing,
film and
video projects, storytelling,
dramatic presentations, dances,
and recitals)
with other efforts involving
school community programs. The book
includes
guidelines for developing creative
school community partnerships,
as well as
general information on the positive
effects of creative activities
on child
and adolescent development.
(MJP)
********************************************************************************
*
Reproductions supplied by EDRS
are the best that can be made
*
*
from the original document.
*
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t
;yr
U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
1 This document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it
Minor changes have been made to
improve reproduction quality
Points of view or opinions stated in this
,,,
document do not necessarily represent
official OERI position or policy
"MP
44...,
.
fl
Learning Systems Group
This report was prepared under Grant #S184U60002 by Learning Systems Group of Washington, DC. The views expressed herein are those of tne grantee.
No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education is intended or should be inferred.
CREATIVE
I Ps
PARTN
RS H
E
FOR
PREVENTION
* * *
Using the Arts and Humanities
to Build Resiliency in Youth
t119
NATIONAL
ENDOWMENT
FOR THE ARTS
The Creative Partnerships for Prevention initiative, including the
The National Endowment for the Arts provided support to estab-
development and dissemination of this resource guide, was fund-
lish seven additional demonstration sites which received training
ed by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of
and technical assistance in establishing an arts-based prevention
Elementary and Secondary Education, Safe & Drug-Free Schools
partnership.
Program.
Additional advice and assistance was received throughout this
project from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the
President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
A
SBN 0-16-049564-4
9 0 0 0 0
II I II
I I
6
7801
9
495649
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328
ISBN 0-16-049564-4
TABLE OF
WI!
CONTENTS
46
Good Groups: A Novel Idea
Introduction
4
48
Building Structures / Moving Together
50
Community Poems
Prevention Efforts for Youth
Section 1:
6
Creative Partnerships for Prevention
52
Demonstration Sites
Section 2: The Arts, Humanities and
12
PreventionA Perfect Match
Providing Information
Section 5:
58
Developing Creative Partnerships
Section 3:
16
62
Notes
Section 6:
Section 4: Arts and Humanities
24
Activities for Youth
64
Section 7:
Resources
26
History of Our Voices
Acknowledgments
68
28
Caring People Collage
30
Youth Express! Journals
32
Creative Solutions
34
The Power of Visual Images
36
Threads of Hope
38
Murals of Health
40
Working It Out
42
Expressing Feelings through Music
44
Storysharing
loN
Ver.
INTROD
The need for effective drug and violence prevention
programs serving school-aged
youth is as great as ever. Creating safe and drug free school environments
con-
ducive to teaching and learning is an essential element of school improvement
and education reform initiatives across the country. Of equal importance is
ensuring
that communities are nurturing, safe and supportive environments for
young peo-
ple that encourage their growth and development. Guiding
young people through
the challenges they face, while helping them take advantage of the opportunities
that exist in their lives, is the responsibility of the entire community. Each of
us,
teacher, parent, principal, counselor, artist, writer, musician, librarian
or other adult
in the life of a young person, has an important role to play.
7
4
nurturing environments that discourage drug use and vio-
The Creative Partnerships for Prevention
lence while at the same time lowering program costs and
resource guide was created to demonstrate the
strengthening relationships. By pooling their resources
important role that participation in the arts and
and working together, schools, cultural organizations and
humanities can play in building young people's
other groups communicate a clear message to youth that
resiliencytheir ability to successfully adapt and develop
the entire community is dedicated to supporting their
in healthy ways, despite exposure to risk and adversity.
healthy development.
Resiliency is a quality that all children are born with, and
The arts and humanities can complement existing
that can be nurtured and developed. Building resiliency is
prevention efforts taking place in local schools and extend
not something that adults do to or for youth. Rather, it is
these efforts into the community. This resource guide pro-
the process of providing a caring environment, creating
vides information on the important role that the arts and
opportunities for young people to contribute to their
humanities can play in prevention efforts and offers sever-
communities, offering positive alternatives for free time,
al activities that draw upon the arts and humanities to
and helping young people make a successful and healthy
increase young people's resiliency. Of course, students do
transition into adulthood.
not become resilient as the result of one activity or experi-
The arts and humanities are excellent tools for
ence. The arts and humanities activities provided in this
strengthening students' resiliency and the protective
guide are designed to provide readers with ideas for cre-
factors that can mediate the impact of potential risks. The
ating their own innovative learning and skill-building
arts and humanities provide young people with opportu-
activities that strengthen students' protective factors and
nities to develop supportive relationships with artists and
help reduce the likelihood that they will become involved
other adults; give parents, teachers and youth workers a
with alcohol, drugs and/or violence. These activities are
chance to communicate high expectations; offer students
designed to be used by teachers, youth-workers, parents,
opportunities to experience success and recognition for
artists and others who interact with young people both in
their accomplishments; and provide young people with
school and during the non-school hours over an extended
opportunities for active learning and direct participation
period of time.
in health-promoting or skills-building activities. In addi-
This guide is part of a larger Creative Partnerships for
tion, the arts and humanities are fun and offer creative
Prevention initiative that includes a World Wide Web site
and engaging ways to explore difficult, complex issues
with youth.
(http://www.CPPrev.org) and fifteen demonstration sites
modeling prevention collaborations between schools and
The impact that the arts and humanities can make in
cultural organizations. The guide is being shared with
prevention efforts is enhanced when these activities are
schools and cultural organizations across the nation in the
implemented by partnerships of schools, cultural organi-
hope of encouraging the establishment or expansion of
zations and other community groups. Collaborative, com-
partnerships serving youth and addressing prevention.
munity-wide efforts create positive, supportive and
a
PREVENTION
EFFORTS
FOR YOUTH
0
Prevention
arrests, 32% of robbery arrests, 24%
The
past few years have seen high
A Critical Need
of weapon arrests, and 15% of murder
levels of youth involvement with drugs
Drug use and violence are important
and aggravated assault arrests.'
and alcohol. Students across the coun-
problems facing today's youth. From
Drug use and violence among
try are experimenting with cigarettes,
1991 to 1996, an increasing number of
youth does not stop at the school
marijuana, alcohol and inhalants at
students in grades 8-12 reported smok-
house door. In 1995, a survey conduct-
ing cigarettes and marijuana, drinking
very young agessome as early as the
ed by the Centers for Disease Control
alcohol and using illicit drugs.' While
and Prevention as part of the Youth
fourth and fifth grades. Many young
the rise in long-term drug use among
Risk Behavior Surveillence System,
people also do not perceive alcohol,
teens has decelerated somewhat in
found that 4.5% of high school stu-
tobacco and drug use as harmful or
1997, usage rates are still two or three
dents missed at least one day of school
dangerous. Researchers see a direct
times higher than they were in the
during the preceding month because
correlation between these attitudes
early 1990s.2 In addition, large num-
they felt unsafe at school or unsafe
and levels of drug use among youth.
bers of young people are involved in
going to or from school. The survey
At the same time, too many young
violent crimes. Studies have shown that
also found that 9.8% of the students
juveniles commit a proportionately
had carried a weapon on school prop-
people are involved in gang fights and
higher number of crimes than mem-
erty in the past month and 8.4% of
other forms of violence. By under-
bers of other age groups, and since the
the students had been threatened or
standing the principles of effective pre-
mid-1980's, juvenile offenders have
injured on school property during the
vention, teachers, parents and youth
become increasingly violent.' In 1996,
past year.'
workers can help students build
one in every 220 persons ages 10
Involvement with drug use and
resiliency and resist these harmful
through 17 in the United States was
violence creates serious problems for
behaviors.
arrested for a violent crimejuveniles
young people, as well as for their
families, schools and communities.
were involved in 37% of all burglary
6
other authority figures, testing their
effects of drug use. It was thought
It creates a school climate of fear and
that if young people understood limits and defying rules. All of these
intimidation which makes it difficult
the damage that drugs did to their
characteristics of adolescence proba-
for students to learn. Young people
bodies and minds, they would bly contributed to the ineffectiveness
who are engaged in drug use and
of the old approach to prevention.
stay away from these substances.
violence put their own lives and the
In addition, this approach focused
Messages such as "this is your
lives of others in danger by carrying
brain on drugs" were used to try
only on the negative. It stressed a
weapons, buying and selling drugs
problemdrug usewithout provid-
to convince young people to make
on school property and on neighbor-
healthier choices.
hood streets, and by being involved in ing any alternative or solution.
It soon became evident, however, Current prevention efforts reflect
theft and vandalism. These problems
that young people did not respond
affect the entire community.
a relatively new approach that views
well to scare tactics. This could partly
But this grim picture is only one
young people not as "problems to be
be due to adolescents' feelings of
side of the story. It is important to
fixed," but as "resources to be devel-
invincibility and immortality. For
keep in mind that most young people
oped." The focus is on building young
many teenagers, the potential harm
people's strengths by establishing a
are not involved in drug use and
that may happen to them in some
community-wide effort in support of
violence, and most grow into healthy,
distant future if they use drugs is
drug- and violence-free youth devel-
productive adults. And, there is much
not a strong deterrent to drug use.
opment. Although providing informa-
that can be done to help prevent young
Another contributing factor could be tion about the harmful effects of
people from becoming involved in
adolescents' strong need to be popu-
harmful behaviors. The past few years
lar with their peers Drinking, smok-
have seen the emergence of promising
.
I I
ing or using drugs may seem a sure
new approaches to prevention that
.
:
pathway to group membership and
-
focus on building young people's
I I
popularity. Adolescents also tend to
strengths. These approaches involve
distance themselves from parents and
the entire community in creating
. 11
. .
opportunities that strengthen and
expand young people's skills and help
them make healthy choices. Creative
Partnerships for Prevention is based
.
41-6I
.
I
on these approaches to prevention.
I
0
.
I
Understanding
.
I
I I
Prevention Today
.
I
I
Prevention is any activity aimed at
reducing the incidence of harmful
0
6
-
behaviors such as drug use or violence
-0
0
0
0
0
among youth, and reducing the possi-
bilities of such behaviors occurring
I
I
at some later time. In the past, many
. .
II
II
prevention efforts focused on provid-
ing information on the harmful