Necessary skills to produce quality art

Based on the end-of-program participant skills assessment, all 21 of the participants had gained the skills necessary to produce quality art, had produced art, and had received public recognition for their work. According to the program staff, the participants took great pride in their work and looked forward to the public recognition for their achievements. In fact, for the GRIT unit, it was only after the artists threatened to cancel the final production because of poor rehearsal attendance that the group became serious about their work and participation. Every youth in the GRIT unit was present for the final public performance. As shown in figure 3, most of the youth also showed improvement in all program-related skills during the program period, particularly in their ability to cooperate with others. The project manager and artists also observed improvement in the participants' ability to work as a team and form new friendships.