As we struggle with the increasing problems associated with youth and family violence, we need to remember that it is the arts that civilize us. Art mirrors who we are. It reflects our cultures and our society. There is power in the artistic process. It has value other than, or in addition to, the completed product. Elaine S. Harding, Director, Global Artways

Global Artways is a Salt Lake City government-sponsored arts intervention program that began as "Kids Against Violence" in a troubled inner-city elementary school in 1992.

Originally supported by a small art organization called Community Artways, the after-school, anti-violence arts program was taught by Elaine S. Harding in the Lincoln Elementary School to combat violence by building community around and in the school. It quickly blossomed into an arts- and life-skills building program that enhanced the capacity of students to succeed academically and participate meaningfully in their community.

"In order to draw or sculpt, children need to be patient, disciplined, and have creative problem-solving skills," observes Harding. "A drawing child is a thinking child." Indeed, at Lincoln, students' SAT scores improved enough to vault the school from 27th to 11th place among city elementary schools. In addition, absenteeism among participating students has decreased, parental involvement has increased, and juvenile court referrals have decreased according to tracking by the Third District Juvenile Court.

Visiting Lincoln in 1996, Salt Lake City's mayor, Deedee Corradini, took note of the positive changes in the children's ability to see their own potential and learn cooperation through the collaborative art process. So she revamped the Salt Lake City Recreation Department into the Youth and Family Program Division and put Sherianne Cotterell, principal of Lincoln, in charge. Today, the program, renamed Global Artways which is housed in the Sorenson Multi-Cultural Center, serves five school communities in addition to Lincoln Elementary. All of them are located in areas of Salt Lake, where 85 to 100 percent of the residents live in poverty; 65 to 70 percent are minorities; 65 percent of children live in single-parent families; 33 percent of the city's homicides and 65 percent of its gang shootings occur; and 25 percent are non-English-speaking.

Global Artways also offers arts classes to all ages in an attempt to serve the whole family. It partners with the public school district, library system, the Jewish Community Center, Utah Opera Company, and the University of Utah. Also, based upon input from its youth advisory board, it is developing new arts opportunities for older youth to further empower them to break the cycle of violence in their home, school, neighborhood, and community.