The arts give kids who are troubled or failing at school new ways to succeed and cope with problems. For example, the Montana Department of Family Services in northeastern Montana has, since 1990, used theatre performances to teach more than 7,000 at-risk youth about the prevention of sexual abuse. Artists focus on what is, and what can be, not on what's missing, says William Cleveland, a nationally recognized expert on how the arts successfully impact kids at risk. That's a critical distinction that helps young people discover creative ways of learning, communicating, working and behaving. Art 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. Research shows that participation in arts can make kids feel better about themselves. A large national study found that youth in arts programs are 23 percent more likely than youth not participating in arts to say they can do things as well as most other people can. Youth in arts programs are also 23 percent more likely than those not in art programs to feel they can make plans and successfully work from them. Creative ways of providing art opportunities to young people are happening around the country.