What is 'youth arts'?

The following explanation has been adapted from ‘Taking it seriously: youth arts in the real world’, published by the National Youth Agency on behalf of Artswork, the NAYT, UK Youth and the NACYP.

‘Taking it seriously’ was the report produced following the 2001: A Youth Arts Odyssey conferences held in Portsmouth and Newcastle. It is available for purchase at £2.75 from the National Youth Agency website.

Understanding youth arts

Youth Arts – a modest phrase, but a full blown phenomenon. Handy shorthand for an encyclopedia of creative possibilities. A collective noun for individual empowerment. A broad church with little respect for traditional boundaries.. there are many ways in which youth arts can be characterised.

A definition that can truly encompass that variety is still elusive, but the Youth Arts Odyssey conference came closer than ever before to answering the following questions:

What does youth arts look like?

• youth arts refers to a wide variey of activities, from sampling technology, to video diaries, from poetry slams to jazz dance that…
• take place in a wide variety of spaces, from the theatre studio, to the art gallery, from the village hall to the city streets, with…
• a wide diversity of young people, aged 12 – 25, from budding musicians to young offenders who…
• may participate in or appreciate or acctually create art, often all three during the same project, run by…
• a wide range of organisations or individuals, voluntary or professional: Youth Arts Workers, Local Authorities, Freelance Artists,Youth Offender teams, Arts Venues, Youth Service, Religious/Faith groups…

What makes youth arts different from formal education?

• Youth arts refers to young people takin gpart voluntarily in creative, cultural or expressive activity
• It includes arts activity as an end in itself and as a means of delivering other aspects of personal and social education
• It often engages with youth culture and popular culture in general
• It is delivered and supported by a diverse range of organisations and agencies, often working in partnership across different sectors

What does youth arts contribute to arts development?

• Youth arts has an eclectic and innovative approach to cultural forms, resulting in cross-cultural and cross-arts fusions
• Its fostering of collaborative partnerships between arts professionals, youth workers and young people often result in dialogue and experimentation, the sharing of expertise and the creation of new work
• Artists and young people are natural collaborators on a number of levels, from the professional/apprentice relationship to a shared interest in cultural experimentation, in exploring personal identity and grappling with social issues. Both can be creatively subversive.

How does youth arts acctually work?

• Youth arts offers an alternative and non-institutionalised way of engaging with young people through creative work
• It starts from where the young people are and proceeds along a path from initial contact to the establishment of trust between adult professionals and young people
• When young people begin to try out ideas, these are drawn on to create a youth arts project that will meet their needs
• As they gain confidence in helping the project to develop, young people learn to take on more and more responsibility until they achieve full independence
• Participation in youth arts leads to the development of a range of basic skills, which means that young people are better able to continue with education or find suitable employment
• Some young people may eventually themselves become artists or youth arts practitioners

What benefits does youth arts offer?

• For professionals in formal education, youth arts can complement more formal learning strategies
• For young people themselves, youth arts can equip them with a range of transferable personal, social and artistic skills
• For government policy-makers, youth arts has a vital role to play in delivering its agendas for social inclusion, education, training, employment and young people
• Youth Arts is also nutruring a new generation of artists and critical audiences

The impact of youth arts on learning

Youth arts can:

• Unlock a young person’s potential
• Encourage creative thinking and problem solving throughout the curriculum
• Reduce the numbers of young people leaving school with poor levels of literacy, numeracy and communication skills

The impact of youth arts on personal and social development

Among the benefits for young people are:

• Increased motivation
• Enhanced self-esteem and confidence
• Involvement in worthwhile and creative activity
• Diversion from negative or criminal activity
• Development of positive group dynamics, including negotiation and joint decision making
• Improvement of social skills, citizenship skills and emotional literacy
• Stronger self-discipline and greater ability to take responsibility for their own actions
• Courage to speak out/express themselves
• Willingness to take an active role in their community