Send This Page to a Friend top Introduction by Jane Alexander Art can save lives. It can turn around a troubled teenager, help a child kick drugs, get young men and women off the streets and into creative and constructive pursuits. Art can change attitudes, build self-esteem and redirect the path of the wayward.
Art can prevent despair.
I have witnessed the power of the arts to effect these changes in children at programs such as the ones described in this publication. By giving young people alternatives to destructive behavior, the arts channel energy into positive quests for better education, stronger family life and rich community. This book lays out the successful stories and strategies of arts programs across the country that are changing lives. Every child needs to believe in himself. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.