Through arts interventions, we heard young people in Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood say, "Hope is dangerous. Hope always fails you." We believe hope can be transformational. In 2018, we saw students in Justice League, our artist-led after school program move from 6.3 to 9 on a 10-point scale in their ability to advocate for themselves and others. "Our Emotional Wellbeing" builds on that experience as a co-creation process between young people (LGBTQ+, Black, etc) and artists.
Through arts interventions, we heard young people in Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood say, "Hope is dangerous. Hope always fails you." And it has been well-documented that social isolation, loneliness, a lack of hope, and depression can undermine beneficial health programs and a person's positive outlook for the future.
IDEAS xLab's Our Emotional Wellbeing (OEW) Project builds on years of experience by the IDEAS xLab team, along with research conducted by Dr. Charles Snyder from University of Pennsylvania, and additional research and recommendations from "A Nation At Risk to A Nation At Hope," a report by the Aspen Institute and a national group of partners released in early 2019. Additionally, OEW supports the creation of artifacts with students that could be incorporated into their JCPS Backpacks of Success.
Impact the hope and emotional wellbeing of young people who participate, and generate a set of arts activities that could be utilized by teachers in the classroom, by after school programs, and community centers, who want to use the arts as a way to drive improved health and wellbeing.
