While serving as Director of Education at ArtsPlace, in Portland, IN, I was presenting a variety of educational programs
for students of all ages. In the summer of 1998, a friend of mine who worked for Community and Family Services in
Muncie, IN showed me some interesting research by Search Institute about the social development of youth. The
research was unique and took a fresh, open minded look at youth throughout the United States and the factors that
contribute to risky behavior such as substance abuse, violence, teenage pregnancy and truancy.
The most startling findings of this research revealed the age at which young people are making decisions that will
ultimately dictate their life's path. Shockingly, that "at-risk" age is 10 -14.
More hopeful findings of this research highlighted a group of 40 Internal and External Assets . We now know there is a
direct relationship between positive social development and the number of these Assets present in a young person's life.
In other words, the more of these Assets a child has, the less likely they are to become involved in violence, substance
abuse and teen age pregnancy and the more likely they are to succeed in school.
As I looked further into Search Institute's findings and these 40 Developmental
Assets, I noticed that they had not only identified these assets but, they had also
ranked them according to what percentage of our youth have each asset. Reading
through the list of identified assets, I was pleased to see that exposer to the arts
was one of the forty. As I read further, I was not pleased nor really surprised to see
that this asset was found to be the most lacking in our youth. In other words, while
95% or more of our youth are exposed to a variety of sports related options, only
about 20% had the opportunity to benefit from an arts related asset. After my
typical response of disgust at our society's lack of interest in the arts, I realized that
this research presented a great opportunity. The research clearly illustrates that
the single activity that can have the greatest impact on the largest number of young
people is art! Therefore, the most effective use of both our time and money for the
social development of our youth is art!
Recognizing this very important by-product of arts education, I began thinking of ways to enhance my arts courses for
students in the at-risk age to maximize the prevention benefits of these activities. I did not, however, wish to create
another slogan based program whose well-meaning efforts can actually have a negative effect. My new prevention
program would be rooted in the proven findings of Search Institute and driven by the power of human expression;art. To
me it was clear that simply telling our youth to not do drugs, don't join gangs or don't have sex was not effective. I
wanted to maintain the integrity of my students' natural artistic expression while creating an opportunity for an honest
dialogue about important issues and ideas that will better equip my students to make positive life choices. Therefore, I
decided that 75-80% of the curriculum for my at-risk students would remain unchanged knowing that simply the
opportunity to participate in an art activity provided a significant prevention benefit. The remaining 20-25% would be an
art activity that specifically addressed relevant issues such as: peer pressure, leisure time, conflict resolution and media
influences. Even these "focused" activities would always be driven by the creative process and the natural prevention
by-product of the aesthetic dialogue.
I first introduced these focused activities at Arts Place as part of a prevention program I
called ArtSmarts. I also realized an important ingredient of a program such as this was
community ownership. I, therefore, designed PEAK to work with Neighborhood
Committees that would assist in: the fine-tuning of focused activities to address their
specific needs and concerns, fund-raising, volunteer recruitment and student registration.
I later refined the program when I was Executive Director of Great River Arts and coined
the name PEAK, Prevention and Education through the Arts for Kids.
Now that I am teaching at Dallas ISD's Molina High School, I see the tremendous benefit a
program such as PEAK can have on both the students and the community. These divers
urban students face a tremendous challenge as they mature into their adult roles within
the community and most of their developmental progress has occurred long before I see
them in my High School classes. For the last three years, I have promoted PEAK's
benefits to any teachers or administrators who would listen. So far, I have not managed to generate enough support to
implement the program. I believe the lack of support is because other school objectives (TAKS preparation) simply do
not allow our administrators to consider other options. School administrators are under great pressure to push
programs that they hope will show an immediate result and do not have the luxury of implementing programs such as
PEAK that would ultimately bring about much more significant long-term results.
If you are a parent, community leader or just a concerned citizen and you want to know what you can do to help promote
PEAK in Dallas, please feel free to email or call me.
William Adkins- bill@knowingdog.com or 972-740-2876
Better yet, if you can get the ear of a DISD Superintendent or board member, tell them to visit this website.
Habla Espanol? I would like to create a link to a Spanish version of this site and I am looking for a volunteer
translator. If you can accurately translate English to Spanish and would like to be one of PEAK's first volunteers, please
call or email me.
for students of all ages. In the summer of 1998, a friend of mine who worked for Community and Family Services in
Muncie, IN showed me some interesting research by Search Institute about the social development of youth. The
research was unique and took a fresh, open minded look at youth throughout the United States and the factors that
contribute to risky behavior such as substance abuse, violence, teenage pregnancy and truancy.
The most startling findings of this research revealed the age at which young people are making decisions that will
ultimately dictate their life's path. Shockingly, that "at-risk" age is 10 -14.
More hopeful findings of this research highlighted a group of 40 Internal and External Assets . We now know there is a
direct relationship between positive social development and the number of these Assets present in a young person's life.
In other words, the more of these Assets a child has, the less likely they are to become involved in violence, substance
abuse and teen age pregnancy and the more likely they are to succeed in school.
As I looked further into Search Institute's findings and these 40 Developmental
Assets, I noticed that they had not only identified these assets but, they had also
ranked them according to what percentage of our youth have each asset. Reading
through the list of identified assets, I was pleased to see that exposer to the arts
was one of the forty. As I read further, I was not pleased nor really surprised to see
that this asset was found to be the most lacking in our youth. In other words, while
95% or more of our youth are exposed to a variety of sports related options, only
about 20% had the opportunity to benefit from an arts related asset. After my
typical response of disgust at our society's lack of interest in the arts, I realized that
this research presented a great opportunity. The research clearly illustrates that
the single activity that can have the greatest impact on the largest number of young
people is art! Therefore, the most effective use of both our time and money for the
social development of our youth is art!
Recognizing this very important by-product of arts education, I began thinking of ways to enhance my arts courses for
students in the at-risk age to maximize the prevention benefits of these activities. I did not, however, wish to create
another slogan based program whose well-meaning efforts can actually have a negative effect. My new prevention
program would be rooted in the proven findings of Search Institute and driven by the power of human expression;art. To
me it was clear that simply telling our youth to not do drugs, don't join gangs or don't have sex was not effective. I
wanted to maintain the integrity of my students' natural artistic expression while creating an opportunity for an honest
dialogue about important issues and ideas that will better equip my students to make positive life choices. Therefore, I
decided that 75-80% of the curriculum for my at-risk students would remain unchanged knowing that simply the
opportunity to participate in an art activity provided a significant prevention benefit. The remaining 20-25% would be an
art activity that specifically addressed relevant issues such as: peer pressure, leisure time, conflict resolution and media
influences. Even these "focused" activities would always be driven by the creative process and the natural prevention
by-product of the aesthetic dialogue.
I first introduced these focused activities at Arts Place as part of a prevention program I
called ArtSmarts. I also realized an important ingredient of a program such as this was
community ownership. I, therefore, designed PEAK to work with Neighborhood
Committees that would assist in: the fine-tuning of focused activities to address their
specific needs and concerns, fund-raising, volunteer recruitment and student registration.
I later refined the program when I was Executive Director of Great River Arts and coined
the name PEAK, Prevention and Education through the Arts for Kids.
Now that I am teaching at Dallas ISD's Molina High School, I see the tremendous benefit a
program such as PEAK can have on both the students and the community. These divers
urban students face a tremendous challenge as they mature into their adult roles within
the community and most of their developmental progress has occurred long before I see
them in my High School classes. For the last three years, I have promoted PEAK's
benefits to any teachers or administrators who would listen. So far, I have not managed to generate enough support to
implement the program. I believe the lack of support is because other school objectives (TAKS preparation) simply do
not allow our administrators to consider other options. School administrators are under great pressure to push
programs that they hope will show an immediate result and do not have the luxury of implementing programs such as
PEAK that would ultimately bring about much more significant long-term results.
If you are a parent, community leader or just a concerned citizen and you want to know what you can do to help promote
PEAK in Dallas, please feel free to email or call me.
William Adkins- bill@knowingdog.com or 972-740-2876
Better yet, if you can get the ear of a DISD Superintendent or board member, tell them to visit this website.
Habla Espanol? I would like to create a link to a Spanish version of this site and I am looking for a volunteer
translator. If you can accurately translate English to Spanish and would like to be one of PEAK's first volunteers, please
call or email me.
More than a slogan.
PEAK is a prevention program based upon proven research that unlocks the
secret to empowering youth; enabling them to make positive life choices.
Research proves that PEAK prevents at-risk behaviors such as:
Violence - Substance Abuse - Teen-age Pregnancy - Truancy
Links:
Advocates for Youth Americans for the Arts STEPS US Conference of Mayors
PEAK is a prevention program based upon proven research that unlocks the
secret to empowering youth; enabling them to make positive life choices.
Research proves that PEAK prevents at-risk behaviors such as:
Violence - Substance Abuse - Teen-age Pregnancy - Truancy
Links:
Advocates for Youth Americans for the Arts STEPS US Conference of Mayors
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Latest News: I have now begun talks with La Reunion to partner with
DISD and other Oak Cliff organizations to present PEAK. Pending
approval of their board of directors, La Reunion will be a primary source of
visiting and local artists to teach PEAK classes. La Reunion may even
adopt PEAK as one of their educational outreach programs.
Molina High School's new Principal, Ms. Dorothy Gomez, has presented
PEAK to DISD's West Learning Community and they have decided to begin
hosting PEAK as pilot program. She is now organizing meetings with all of
Molina's feeder schools and their PTAs. From there neighborhood
committees will be formed and the first PEAK programs will begin in 2009.
DISD and other Oak Cliff organizations to present PEAK. Pending
approval of their board of directors, La Reunion will be a primary source of
visiting and local artists to teach PEAK classes. La Reunion may even
adopt PEAK as one of their educational outreach programs.
Molina High School's new Principal, Ms. Dorothy Gomez, has presented
PEAK to DISD's West Learning Community and they have decided to begin
hosting PEAK as pilot program. She is now organizing meetings with all of
Molina's feeder schools and their PTAs. From there neighborhood
committees will be formed and the first PEAK programs will begin in 2009.
| Great News!!! The Junior League of Dallas, Chase and the Hillcrest Foundation have awarded Oak Cliff Meets Japan at $1500 grant. Click here to read more about it. |
Link to:
| PEAK will soon blaze new trails in education leadership in Dallas; offering a wide range of arts participation opportunities for the entire community and valuable out-of-school learning for our youth. |
