Y.P.E. YOUTH ARTS FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
CMS’s Y.P.E. Youth Arts program works in Boston’s city schools as a means to appeal to children’s multiple learning styles and to expand their understanding of Math, Science and Social Studies through arts-centered curricula. Faced with budget cuts and mandated state testing, Boston Public Schools have eliminated much of their arts programming. CMS’s Y.P.E. Youth Arts Program strives to fill this void while supporting state learning objectives.
The program connects working artists and poets with second-, third- and fourth- grade public school classrooms. Throughout the year classrooms at participating schools incorporate the Youth Arts curricula lessons, such as our Visual Arts, Poetry Lesson or Music Plans, each week. The goals of CMS’s Y.P.E. Youth Arts program are to:
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expose inner-city youth to and educate them about the arts,
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develop their awareness and understanding of themselves,
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provide an opportunity for young people to express their feelings and thoughts in a positive, safe and creative manner,
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reinforce targeted academic skills as listed in the Boston Public Schools learning standards, and
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promote conflict resolution and peace promotion among the youngest members of the community.
The Youth Arts program highlights the use of the arts as an outlet for children in difficult life situations, particularly the disadvantaged neighborhoods of Boston, where youth violence continues to be a threat. We include the themes of peace and safe expression of anger and conflict in the Youth Arts program.
To date, Youth Arts has directly served more than 2,200 at-risk youth of inner-city Boston, and (we estimate) has impacted the lives of an additional 6,000 of their peers who benefit from the presentations of art, poetry, and dramatic productions created by their fellow students that participate in the Youth Arts program. CMS helps participants use the arts to develop their self-esteem; improve their self-expression; enhance their skills in language arts, mathematics, problem solving and communication.
CMS’s Youth Arts program is offered both in English and Spanish. Curricula combine whole-class, small group, partner and one-to-one instruction to reach children through a variety of learning techniques. Curricula are adapted for each classroom through collaborative efforts among the Youth Arts Program artists, the classroom teachers and the school principals.
The principals and teachers at participating CMS Youth Arts program schools recognize that studying and participating in the arts strengthens cognitive skills-perception, discernment and criticism. Responding to a survey of among participating classes in the Hennigan School, teachers praised the Program for strengthening students’ vocabulary and their enthusiasm for writing. The Principal of the Hennigan School noted, “The program enhanced our own writing program…the artist/instructor is phenomenal at getting children to think about their writing. I can’t wait until next year to see what [the program] has in store!”
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