Objective: To describe extracurricular activity participation and explore its relationship with college students' health. Participants: 159 college students majoring in dental hygiene or occupational therapy. Methods: Data were collected prospectively at baseline, one- and two-year follow-ups. Self-reported participation in extracurricular…

Sociopolitical values are hypothesized to form during adolescence, but the developmental and contextual origins of these values have been largely unexplored. A sample of 846 adolescents (M[subscript age] = 15.96, SD = 1.22, range = 13-20 years) reported on their organized activity involvement (volunteering, sports, church, community clubs,…

The arts have played powerful utilitarian roles for individuals and for the societies in which they live for millennia. For the last 250 years, though, "art for art's sake" -- the notion that commercial, utilitarian, moral, or didactic functions are distractions from art's ineffable, intrinsic value as an expression of the artists'…

The purpose of this study was to elicit the experiences of women who participated in a gender-responsive program in jail. Through the collection of life history interviews, this article highlights the transformative learning experiences of 13 women participants. Research questions included (1) how did the program foster transformative learning?…

Though many studies explore arts participation at the P-12 level and attendance at the adult level, there remains little to no exploration on who attends arts events throughout college. Being an egalitarian period of life where on-campus arts programing remains either free or at a reduced cost, college may be one of the last areas to cultivate…

While people might not be familiar with the term "voluntary arts", they are probably either involved with some voluntary arts activity themselves or they know someone who is. They use "voluntary arts" to mean any situation in which someone is voluntarily participating in an art form for pleasure, social reasons, skills…

An average of one in 88 children in the United States are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Individuals with ASD demonstrate poor social interaction, poor social competence, and lowered self-esteem. Early intervention treatment can improve social development. In recent years more…

In past articles the author has talked about building imaginative outdoor play environments with the help of local community volunteers. In this article, he suggests another group of people who can add a unique layer of whimsy, surprise, and wonder to a playscape: Artists. There could be artists in the neighborhood who would love to join a…

This study began with a readily understandable impulse: to enumerate the nation's outdoor arts festivals and to identify their shared and divergent traits, considering factors such as event programming, staffing, finances, and audience demographics. The reason for this query is also straightforward. To date, no single report or database carries…

This report complements a national survey of outdoor arts festivals (see "Live from Your Neighborhood: A National Study of Outdoor Arts Festivals, Volume One: Summary Report") by focusing on seven case study festivals: Houston International Festival; Piccolo Spoleto; Lowell Folk Festival; Santa Fe Indian Market; Chicago Jazz Festival;…

The RocCity Scholars Program was developed to establish the efficacy of replicating the Rosen Scholars Program (ERIC #ED451789). Both programs were offered in inner-city environments, (New York City and Rochester) and both targeted the same under-served populations: college-bound academic achievers who were culturally, socially and financially…

In this article, the author describes a gourd art project for her art club. Prior to students actually working on the gourds, the author and her art volunteer did a joint demonstration on the process students would go through to create their project. The volunteer brought in and explained her gourd art and shared information about the drying and…

The author describes a parent art program, how it works, and ways to implement it. She emphasizes the strengths of parent programs as a way to support and enrich existing arts education, not as a replacement. Hansen describes the art kit--the adult's teaching resource--and the basic four-part process: presentation, demonstration, an art activity,…

One thing about the Madison Montessori School that impressed this author is its belief in the power and importance of art in education: that an art program can enhance the power of the core learning programs designed for the children and that art develops the whole child, the whole family, the whole school, and the whole community. Its program,…

These nine articles describe public library programs for young adults. Highlights include a read-a-thon with snacks; graphic novels and art; costume party and trivia contest; activities based on "The Hobbit"; a summer reading program that included teen volunteers; writing epitaphs for Day of the Dead celebration; Legos displays; and…