The Americans for the Arts' YouthARTS Toolkit remains a seminal publication on how to start and manage a youth development program in arts education. It discusses the unique considerations of working with underserved communities and covers programmatic basics such as fundraising, budgeting, program design & evaluation, and partnerships.

The YouthARTS Toolkit website is designed to give arts agencies, juvenile justice agencies, social service organizations, and other community-based organizations detailed information about how to plan, run, provide training, and evaluate arts programs for at-risk youth.

It is based on the results of a project begun in 1995 to, among other goals, define the critical elements and "best practices" of arts programs designed for at-risk youth populations, to design and test program evaluation methodologies, and to conduct a rigorous evaluation at three pilot sites of the impact of arts programs on adolescent behavior and the risk and protective factors associated with behavioral problems and delinquency.

YouthARTS showed that arts programs really can have an impact on youth. Not only can such programs enhance young peoples' attitudes about themselves and their futures, but the programs also can increase academic achievement and decrease delinquent behavior. This site is intended to show you how.