National Partnership Progress Report
The Creative Youth Development National Partnership, in concert with more than 650 cross-sector stakeholders nationally, is calling for all young people to have equitable access to opportunities to: realize their creative potential; live richer, fuller lives; and develop the critical learning and life skills they need to become active contributors to their communities. Read the Creative Youth Development National Blueprint.
The Klarman Family Foundation and Mass Cultural Council hosted the Final Showcase of the Music Educator and Teaching Artist (META) Fellowship Program Pilot. Over the past two years, 46 Fellows from more than 30 schools and non-profit organizations throughout Massachusetts have come together to build a community of practice to enhance the impact of music programs on young people.
For the third year in a row, Mass Cultural Council is proud to award 15 Amplify grants totaling $15,000 to projects designed and executed by young people in programs receiving YouthReach or SerHacer funding, furthering the Commonwealth’s investment in youth leadership and empowerment. This year’s process not only encouraged young people to design and lead their own projects for their communities’ benefit, but also included young people and program alums in the evaluation panel.
In addition to a dedicated track of Creative Youth Development sessions and network meetings, this year’s National Guild conference (November 15-18 in San Francisco/Oakland) piloted an Emerging Young Artist Residency, which brought together youth, ages 16-24, and teaching artists from Destiny Arts Center (Oakland, CA), Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, and RAW Art Works (Lynn, MA) to collaboratively create an original performance piece that explored critical social issues connected to conference themes. More
Today, 12 creative youth development programs from across the country were recognized by the nation’s arts and culture agencies with the highest honor such programs can receive, the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. First presented in 1998, the 2017 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards was presented through a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), in cooperation with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA).
As part of the festivities around National Arts in Education Week September 10-16, 2017, Americans for the Arts’ ARTSblog highlighted stories from youth sharing what arts education means in their lives. One post featured Xavier Harvey, a seasoned veteran of Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s youth productions and youth mentor.
As part of the Creative Youth Development National Partnership’s Stakeholder Meeting (NSM), Mass Cultural Council took the opportunity to host a cohort of international guests to spark a conversation on how the field of practice looks around the world. With a varied roster of national and local agencies, educators, artists, and academia from South Korea, Scotland, India, Australia, Norway, and New Zealand, these guests met to distill the findings of the NSM, and, led by veteran teaching artist Eric Booth, were engaged in an incredibly fertile conversation, in which different models and approaches were presented, all unified by the importance of empowering young people and nurturing creativity as an integral part of our communities.
The CYD National Partnership brought together 100+ leaders from across sectors and around the country for a CYD National Stakeholder Meeting in Boston. The purpose of the meeting was to drive collective action to advance the role of creativity in positive youth development. Over two days, this community of stakeholders worked together to prioritize strategic actions to holistically support positive change in the lives of young people. Participants included youth, practitioners, researchers, funders, policy makers, and other stakeholders in creative youth development and allied sectors (e.g., mental health, juvenile justice, workforce development, youth development, education, and community development). The focus of the National Stakeholder Meeting was on tapping the wisdom, experience, and diverse perspectives of the stakeholders in the room to amplify promising strategies highlighted in recent research and practice, increase investment in creative youth development nationally, and catalyze action that will bring new resources and support to CYD practice
The National Guild for Community Arts Education, on behalf of a coalition of national partners, has been awarded an NEA Collective Impact grant for $100,000. The grant will support the implementation of the National Blueprint for Creative Youth Development (CYD) through cross-sector working groups, communications, and professional development.
During their annual meeting in June, the U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously endorsed a resolution titled, “Access to Creative Youth Development for At-Risk Youth” in support of CYD in communities across the nation. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more and their chief elected official, the mayor. CYD Programs are encouraged to use this resolution to present to their mayor to garner support for CYD-related efforts in their community.
The Partnership was invited to provide input on two connected articles for the Ford Motor Company Fund website about creative youth development, one on CYD and the arts and afterschool in general and features on AileyCamp, 826 National, and Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit.
A year-long webinar series designed to increase understanding of CYD practice, build capacity, and advance the field is launched.
The CYD National Partnership was invited to present at the Federal Interagency Task Force on the Arts and Human Development. The purpose of the presentation was familiarize the Task Force on creative youth development as a solution for positive outcomes for youth and on the evolving work of the Partnership.
The Partnership hosted a panel of cross-sector leaders at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, California to discuss creative youth development and cross-sector partnerships. Approximately 50 CYD practitioners and stakeholders from Southern California attended.
The Partnership was introduced to and their work and research on tools and resources (Primarily the Creative Youth Development Toolkit) to the federal Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP). IWGYP is a group of 20 federal departments and agencies that support programs and services focusing on youth and is the entity that oversees Youth.gov.
The Creative Youth Development National Partnership appointed 11 initial members to its National Advisory Committee. This cross-sector Committee will play a significant strategic role in helping to shape and vet strategic recommendations for how to advance the field of CYD.
The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) and Klarman Family Foundation have launched a new program, the Music Educators and Teaching Artists (META) Fellowship Pilot Program, to help teaching artists improve the quality of their work with youth in schools and community settings across Massachusetts.
The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities welcomed over 30 representatives from federal agencies and national organizations for the inaugural Creative Youth Development (CYD) National Partnership briefing on September 19, 2016. This event brought together a broad swath of CYD stakeholders to learn about the current work happening within the National Partnership and to exchange ideas and resources for advancing the field.
New Collective Impact Strategy to Strengthen Community-Based Organizations and Empower Practitioners & Youth Today marks the formal launch of the Creative Youth Development National Partnership between the National Guild for Community Arts Education, Mass Cultural Council, The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, and Americans for the Arts. These four organizations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize their joint commitment to advancing creative youth development (CYD) as a field of practice nationwide.
National Endowment for the Arts Hosted an Arts Education Webinar: The Past, Current and Future Needs of Youth Arts Organizations Using Data to Inform Program Impact