Arts Learning

Kulture Klub Collaborative is proud to report that all of our outcomes were achieved. The quantity of arts learning experiences increased through this project without doubt. Seitu Jones offered weekly programs during the fall to create arts learning opportunities for youth experiencing homelessness. Seitu is a nationally recognized artist and educator. For almost all of these young people, they have little to no arts learning experiences within their grasp. Quantitatively, we marked the total number of attendees and frequency. Qualitatively, we were able to mark this with anecdotal responses from young people. The strategy that Kulture Klub Collaborative used to increase learning is consistent programming, rooted in relationship building. By having Seitu, his assistant Adjoa, and Kulture Klub Collaborative staff at every program, there was a regular invitation to homeless youth to participate in the project. In addition to the quantity of arts learning increasing, this program also increased the types of arts learning. Working with Seitu is a hands-on experience, crossing a variety of media - installation, public art, sculpture, painting, and drawing. This was truly a unique learning environment for these young people. 2: There are numerous barriers that homeless youth need addressed. Kulture Klub Collaborative provided bus tokens and vehicle transportation, child care stipends, child-friendly activities, and youth-to-youth outreach. Meals were provided at every activity and core participants received stipends. Success for these strategies was marked quantitatively by how many youth utilized the supports and qualitatively by anecdotal responses in surveys and Youth Advisory Council feedback. The Youth Advisory Council and Licensed Clinical Social Worker's Sue Pohl led the charge of identifying barriers. For Kulture Klub Collaborative youth, there are a myriad of real and perceived barriers - everything from transportation to child care, from not being an artist" to trying to prioritize artmaking in a busy schedule. Also, for this project, some youth had a barrier of not knowing anything about "public art" or the modes that Seitu works in as an artist. As a team, Kulture Klub Collaborative youth, staff, and artists developed ways to address barriers. Some were simple solutions like bus tokens, stipends, and child-care support. Other times, the barriers were addressed with a more relationship-based strategy. Youth got to know Seitu over shared meals and conversations to learn about his artwork. Youth would also build relationships with Kulture Klub Collaborative staff to address mental health, chemical health, or other housing crises. These strategies worked very well, as the staff and artist team had extensive arts learning experience."