Wes Akers

My research partner LaDawna Wert found this article, Engaging Adolescents, in her research.  I thought it was a valuable article to review because it is written about the exact population and topic I’m studying – adolescents and arts engagement.

The study was conducted by the National Guild for Community Arts Education to explore the following research questions.

• What do adolescents want?
• What do they need?
• How do we reach them?
• How do we sustain their involvement so they remain engaged in the arts?

Their goal is improve existing arts programs and develop new ones to increase teens involvement in arts education.  As I read, I became more interested in this report because it identifies adolescent development as an important part of analyzing arts programs’ success.

I continued to read and the theme of youth development emerged throughout.  I focused on Chapter 4: Fundamental Strategies of Engagement – Barriers to Participation.  The barriers were divided into two groups – logistical barriers and barriers of the mind.  The study reports “building confidence and self-esteem” as a crucial part of working with adolescents in the arts (Hirzy, 2001, p. 29).  The report recommends that programs be advertised as welcoming, respectful, and encouraging to attract adolescents struggling with self-confidence.    

The report also makes recommendations for overcoming barriers.

• Analyze the convenience and access of your location.
• Find out about participants’ family responsibilities like afterschool jobs and childcare or eldercare responsibilities at home.
• Inform parents so they can better understand and support their teens’ participation.
• Analyze the atmosphere and safety of the location.
• Broaden language competency to include non-English speakers.
• Decrease the program cost or make it free.

I think these recommendations could be helpful for me when I’m planning my focus group interviews.  In my first survey, students respond to a question about what is keeping them from engaging with art.  I think this chapter will be a helpful resource to make comparisons to the barriers in the report and the barriers in my students responses.  I can use both resources to plan some questions I want to ask my students in the focus group interview.  By the end of the week, I should have a better understanding of my students barriers.

Hirzy, E. (2011). Engaging adolescents: Building youth participation in the arts. National Guild for Community Arts Education. Retrieved from http://www.nationalguild.org/ngCorporate/MediaLibrary/Publications/EngagingAdolescentsGuide.pdf?ext=.pdf