Program Description

The City of San Antonio Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs initiated the Urban smARTS afterschool program in 1993 to prevent high-risk students, ages 10 to 12, in San Antonio, TX, neighborhoods from engaging in delinquent behaviors. The Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs joined the YouthARTS Development Project in 1995 and began operating Urban smARTS as a YouthARTS program in 1996. Teachers and counselors at each participating school from the San Antonio Independent School District referred to the program primarily sixth grade students who were experiencing academic failure, had poor school attendance, and engaged in antisocial behavior.