By Tracey Hartmann
While multipurpose out-of-school time (OST) organizations provide supportive environments for youth development and social-emotional growth, in the context of the arts, safety requires an approach that mitigates physical harm and creates an emotionally safe space for youth to express themselves.
These safety practices in the arts build upon a multipurpose OST organization’s existing strengths of offering spaces where youth can disconnect from outside stressors, and experience feelings of joy, centeredness, and flow.
How can multipurpose OST organizations provide physically and emotionally safe environments for youth to support artistic skill development?
Research from The Youth Arts Initiative (YAI), funded by @The Wallace Foundation and implemented by @Boys & Girls Clubs of America, reveals that infusing youth voice and leadership into arts programs requires intentional design, organizational commitment, and a willingness to rethink long-standing practices. This research codified key practices for high-quality arts programs into 10 Principles for High-Quality Arts Programs.
Research for Action and McClanahan Associates served as the research partners for YAI. Drawing from our learnings, we are publishing mini-briefs that explore each of the 10 Principles and offer actionable, practical strategies to implement youth arts programs in multipurpose OST settings.
In this mini-brief, we focus on Principle 10: Safe Spaces
You can also read our summary blog post here!