The following section is based on interviewees’ opinions and is provided as a suggestion for the creation of arts programs for adolescents. After providing their perceptions and
experiences regarding the situation of arts programs for teenagers in Puerto Rico, the
interviewees were asked to describe an effective arts program for this population. An effective arts program would be one that makes the arts relevant to adolescents lives, represents a
prestigious alternative for their present and future, attracts and keeps them engaged, takes their points of views into account, recognizes and develops their potentials, satisfies their needs, integrates the parents, ensure accessibility, has adequate budgets, personnel materials, equipment and facilities, and will offer consistency and continuity to teens involvement and development in and through the arts over time.
Román (personal communication, January 15, 2009) argued that for an arts program be effective for adolescents, it must present the arts as a prestigious alternative for their lives. Arts programs presented to teenagers, especially those from disadvantaged communities, must be:
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shaped according to the cultural competence of the school, sector, neighborhood, community or society. Must take into account the scale of values of the community and contextualize the arts to the needs of the community. The way in which the art form is presented must make sense to them; therefore, you need to know the people you are serving, what their needs are, know who their heroes and villains are (R. Román, personal communication, January 15, 2009).
Likewise Hernández (personal communication, January 16, 2009) stated that to create an effective arts program for teens “you need to know the teens, pay attention to them, work with their needs, strengthen them, integrate them to the process and make them feel pertinent”. Colón (personal communication, January 21, 2009) pointed out that “for a youth program to be
effective it has to make [youth] part of the conceptualization and programming, involve them and give credibility to their recommendations”. Seeing youth as resources contribute positively to their economic, cultural, and social environments, and involve them in their nation’s broad development processes (The World’s Bank, 2003).
In Collazo’s (personal communication, January 2009) opinion a program is effective if it provides access to the students, ensures accessibility, keeps the motivation of the students, has variety, and makes the students put their abilities into practice. “Despite their circumstances, the students want to learn new things. The students want things that challenge them as much or even more than video games or other technology” (V. Collazo, personal communication, January 17, 2009). Also Hernández (personal communication, January 2009) expressed “art programs are effective for teens if they expand teens’ horizons; if the programs make them discover their creative self, if they develop their self-esteem”. Ortega (personal communication, January 22, 2009) insisted that an art instructor must be able to recognize the potential of the students,
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identify their strengths and weaknesses and motivate them. It is necessary to recognize youth capabilities, talents and strengths in order to address and fulfill their maximum potential (The Gallup Organization, 2006; Treffinger, 1998).
An arts program whether for teenagers, children or adults, need to have a clear set of goals and objectives, and the participants should know what is expected from them. Having clear objectives and goals can help to get funds : “As more documented and organized is a project, the easier it is to obtain funds to accomplish it. And, as more money you get from other sources, the more willing other agencies are to give money [match funds] for your project” (L. Ortega, personal communication, January 22, 2009). She also mentioned the need to have materials of a decent degree of quality that allow a decent execution of the art form. Finally, she emphasized that for a program to be effective it needs continuity, both from the museum [arts organizations] and from the schools (L. Ortega, personal communication, January 22, 2009). It was also mentioned that “the parents must be integrated in the activities where the adolescents are involved” (R. Román, personal communication, January 15, 2009).
The interviewees had a fairly clear idea of what an arts program needed in order to succeed. But making it a dream come true requires identification of the entities that will
intervene in its design, planning, implementation, documentation and evaluation. It will require assessing what is already being provided by the arts organizations, schools and social service organizations, and where the gaps or conflicts are, as well as the best way to address them. It will require building individual and organizational capacity and improving communication and information sharing and networking among organizations, as well as among the organizations of the communities being served.
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The literature suggest that access to and quality of arts learning experiences can be improved by: conducting audits of arts education, setting a goal of access for all, strategic planning, constructing a case, advocating, attracting and leveraging resources, building individual and organizational capacity and hiring an arts education coordinator highly placed within the school district administration, requiring alignment with state arts standards, developing curriculum supports, qualifying/screening providers, coordinating peer review, ranking and modeling, assessing student learning (Bodilly and Augustine, 2008). In Puerto Rico, arts organizations and the public school system have started to implement some strategies that are aligned with arts standards, the development of curriculum support and plans for attracting resources. However there is still a need for audits of arts education, assessment of student learning, and building organizational capacity and peers networks.