Primary art forms

Urban smARTS conducted 3-hour afterschool art workshops on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for 16 weeks at each of the seven schools. The primary art forms offered at each school were drama, dance, and visual arts. During the first few weeks of the program, the participants spent part of each 3-hour workshop with each of the artists to learn about the different art forms. After several weeks, the youth were divided into groups based on their level of interest in these art forms. The youth then worked with the artist to develop skills and produce their own art. All of the youth also helped prepare the final public performance and/or exhibit that concluded the 16-week session. During 13 of the program's 16 weeks, caseworkers provided weekly 30-minute sessions in a group setting in which they discussed prevention-oriented topics such as decisionmaking, conflict resolution, self-respect, and substance abuse.