ARTS, CULTURE AND RECREATION 

ENCOURAGING SUMMER AND AFTER-SCHOOL ARTS PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH AT-RISK

WHEREAS, every day 2,833 children drop out of school and an astounding 135,000 children carry a gun to school; and

WHEREAS, youth account for 18 percent of all violent crime in the U.S. and 33 percent of all serious property crime; and

WHEREAS, the need exists to provide young children with alternatives to juvenile crime and the temptation of drugs and violence; and

WHEREAS, statistics clearly indicate that the highest crime rate period is between the unsupervised after-school hours of 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM - a trend that is continuing to increase; and

WHEREAS, several recently released national research studies reveal the positive impact of arts education programs (Dr. James Catterall of UCLA) and community arts programs (Dr. Shirley Brice Heath of Stanford University) on improving academic performance and reducing drop-out rates for all children regardless of socio-economic background and providing children with unique opportunities to develop cognitive, linguistic, and socio-related skills during nonschool hours; and

WHEREAS, there are two simultaneous longitudinal studies being conducted specifically evaluating the measurable impact of arts programs on youth at-risk. The YouthARTS Development Project is being funded and evaluated by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the National Endowment for the Arts and the four project partners: Americans for the Arts, and the local arts agencies in Atlanta, San Antonio, and Portland, Oregon. Results of this study as well as a multimedia toolkit will be released in 1998. The Arts and Public Safety Impact Study is being conducted by the Rand Corporation and its four project partners include the Departments of Cultural Affairs for Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City as well as Americans for the Arts. Results of the Rand study will be released in 2000; and

WHEREAS, it has been demonstrated that prevention and intervention programs centered on art, recreation, and education programs have proven successful at reducing juvenile crime and enhancing academic performance,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors calls upon the federal government, the state governors and the nation’s mayors to promote more summer and after-school arts programs for children and youth at-risk in their cities.