A Delicate Balance: Principles and Practices Of Promising Arts And Humanities Programs
The program directors also speak eloquently about the critical need to create a safe haven for ideas and relationships: a "petri dish" where youth can develop caring and respectful relationships with each other and with adults, a place in which children "come away looking at themselves and society differently." Humanities programs where the emphasis is on exploring ideas are key
to developing a broader perspective.
Many directors noted that youth are thirsty for information about their racial and ethnic cultures. Part
of The Artists Collective, Inc.'s mission is to provide youth with a more complete picture of their
cultural heritage and, therefore, of themselves. "You can't just tell a person that you are somebody. You have to learn who that somebody is, who that somebody was, what those accomplishments were. You have to give them faces that they look at, that look back at them, that say, 'I'm special. I'm somebody special,' whether it's the face of a Wynton Marsalis or a Harriet Tubman," says McLean.
Effective programs provide youth with an accessible and safe haven and a broader context within
which to learn. Creating a site where children are physically safe is a crucial requirement. Programs must be located in safe places, accessible by public transportation. When necessary, entrances to the building should be monitored.