An art project a day keeps youth problems away?

Can art help low-income kids improve their social skills and family life? This is one of the major questions being examined by social workers, government representatives and policy-makers on Monday, September 20, as they review results from the National Arts and Youth Demonstration Project (NAYDP).

The three-year study was launched in 2001 to explore how art programs can be used as an alternative means to enhance the lives of youth from lower income communities. Research was conducted across five Canadian regions: Montreal, Toronto, rural Ontario, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

Principal investigators Robin Wright and Lindsay John, professors at McGill University's School of Social Work, collaborated with researchers from the Université de Montréal, the University of South Florida, the University of Toronto, the University of New Brunswick, Stanford University and Hamilton's Offord Centre for Child Studies. Their presentations will address three key questions:

• Can community-based organizations successfully recruit, engage and sustain the participation of children and youth in structured art programs?
• Does participation in art programs help children improve social skills, communication skills, conflict resolution skills, cooperation with peers and adults, as well as emotional and behavioural problems?
• Are there spillover effects of children's participation in programs on families, schools and communities?

For more information, please consult the Demonstration Project website. Simultaneous English and French translation will be provided for all sessions. All presentations are taking place at the Delta Centre-Ville, 777 University St., Montreal. Please read on for a complete program. Media wishing to attend should contact Sylvain-Jacques Desjardins.

The National Arts and Youth Demonstration Project Symposium: Research to Policy, Policy to Practice

PROGRAM

9:00 am
Opening Address

9:15 am
Plenary Session I: Art programs as a strategy for enhancing the well-being of children and youth in lower income communities.
Presenters:
Drs Robin Wright and Lindsay John.

The principal investigators of the National Arts and Youth Demonstration Project (NAYDP) will present the conceptual framework and methodology of the study, and identify the principles for developing, implementing and evaluating effective outcome-based art programs for children and youth.

10:30 am
Plenary Session II: Findings of the National Arts & Youth Demonstration Project.
Presenters:
Dr Lindsay John, Dr Robin Wright and Mr Eric Duku.

The presentation will highlight the principal findings of the NAYDP with respect to the effects of art programs on outcomes such as child and youth artistic and social skills, family functioning, and spillover effects on schools and communities.

1:00 pm
Plenary Session III: Community perspectives on the successes and challenges of implementing the NAYDP research protocol.
Presenters:
Dr Robin Wright, Dr Ramona Alaggia, Mr Bill Crook, Ms Carol Henriquez and Mr Paul Larocque.

The session will include presentations by practitioners and researchers involved in the NAYDP. Practitioners will report on their experiences in implementing the research protocol as well as present their recommendations for incorporating research into the strategic plans of community-based organizations. Researchers will present the qualitative methodology of the NAYDP and main findings from interviews with parents, children and service providers.

3:30 pm
Plenary Session IV: Where do we go from here? Implications of the NAYDP findings for policy and practice.
Presenters:
Drs Lindsay John, Robin Wright, William Rowe and Gilles Rondeau.

The session will begin with a summary of the main findings of the NAYDP, the themes arising from the day's discussions, and recommendations for policy and practice. A discussion will then follow in which Symposium participants explore and identify ways to integrate the research findings into policy and practice.

5:30 pm
End of Session

Simultaneous translation will be provided for all sessions.