Greater investment in out-of-school arts, humanities, and science programs that develop young people’s creative potential and foster individual growth and social responsibility will enable youth to live richer, fuller lives and develop the critical learning and life skills they need to make a successful transition to adulthood.
That was the key conclusion of participants in the National Summit on Creative Youth Development in Boston, March 27-29, 2014. Together more than 200 leaders, funders, policymakers, researchers, and youth drafted “Collective Action for Youth: An Agenda for Progress through Creative Youth Development,” a policy and advocacy agenda to be implemented at the local, state, and national levels.
“Collective Action for Youth” articulates the purpose and value of a maturing field of practice called creative youth development; asserts its place as central to ensuring young people’s academic, professional, and personal success; and identifies five key imperatives for catalyzing on the work of creative youth development programs nationwide and the impact they have on students, families, and communities.