Creative Expression, Caring Relationships, and Career Pathways: A Guide to Youth Outcomes in Community Arts Programs
November 1st, 2025
United States
Kylie Peppler, Seth Corrigan, Maggie Dahn, Julian Sefton-Green, Pariece Nelligan, Daniela DiGiacomo, Sam Mejias
To give arts educators a better way of thinking about, tracking, and communicating the long-lasting effects of their work, an international research team from three countries collaborated with artists and program leaders to identify and categorize a broad range of outcomes that come from participation in arts programs.
Posted byCherry Ng
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Abstract/Description
Community-based youth arts programs have been shown to provide important, engaging, and empowering experiences for young people. But often, when asked to demonstrate their impact, programs must rely on the anecdotal experiences of participants in their particular program.
An international collaboration of researchers (from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) set out to document how young people engage across these programs and what the lasting effects might be for them. The team spoke with alumni of community-based arts programs. They also held workshops with community-based youth arts program leaders to sort through people’s responses and develop “a taxonomy” of outcomes. The tool also points to program design features that support the different outcomes.
What is the Taxonomy and How is it Used?
Two main themes emerged from the researchers' interviews, which became the basis for two main categories in the taxonomy:
Relational outcomes, which shape how arts program participants interact with peers and mentors and come to understand themselves, their community, and their environment. For example, nearly everyone interviewed said their participation in arts programs helped them build enduring friendships and grow as people.
Opportunity outcomes, which are the ways arts programs help young people envision adulthood and pursue careers. These include the development of workplace skills and exposure to cultural and educational resources that highlight potential careers and other opportunities for young people.
These two main categories break down into a series of sub-categories and outcomes that youth may achieve through program participation. The researchers present them in the report along with program design elements that supported them.
The taxonomy seeks to move beyond the short-term measurements like attendance that have been common in arts programs. It will allow practitioners and others to capture less quantifiable effects like forming close ties with others or developing self confidence.
An international collaboration of researchers (from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) set out to document how young people engage across these programs and what the lasting effects might be for them. The team spoke with alumni of community-based arts programs. They also held workshops with community-based youth arts program leaders to sort through people’s responses and develop “a taxonomy” of outcomes. The tool also points to program design features that support the different outcomes.
What is the Taxonomy and How is it Used?
Two main themes emerged from the researchers' interviews, which became the basis for two main categories in the taxonomy:
Relational outcomes, which shape how arts program participants interact with peers and mentors and come to understand themselves, their community, and their environment. For example, nearly everyone interviewed said their participation in arts programs helped them build enduring friendships and grow as people.
Opportunity outcomes, which are the ways arts programs help young people envision adulthood and pursue careers. These include the development of workplace skills and exposure to cultural and educational resources that highlight potential careers and other opportunities for young people.
These two main categories break down into a series of sub-categories and outcomes that youth may achieve through program participation. The researchers present them in the report along with program design elements that supported them.
The taxonomy seeks to move beyond the short-term measurements like attendance that have been common in arts programs. It will allow practitioners and others to capture less quantifiable effects like forming close ties with others or developing self confidence.
