Troubled Youth
ARTreach Programs can turn a troubled child's life around

There is a variety of ARTreach Programs serving Troubled Youth that are available through the Fort Bend and Harris County Juvenile Justice system and made available for children in CPS placement centers, emergency shelters, and residential treatment centers.

Troubled youth can be suffering from low self esteem, depression, drug addictions, unresolved or misdirected anger.

How can art programs help?
Whether you think socio-economics plays a role, or parental neglect, there is a generation of children at risk of drug abuse, alcohol abuse, academic failure, dropping out, committing crimes, ending up in prison system or otherwise supported by the welfare system. How can a community help? How can we help our children at risk stay off the streets, off drugs, and out of trouble? How do we introduce positive role models, positive activities, hope and the passionate pursuit of happiness and a positive future into their lives?

Art!
It is widely accepted that the arts, whether dance, music, drawing, or painting provides some of the most effective, engaging and creative methods of mental, emotional and physical stimulation out there. The arts stimulate the overall creative thinking process! It is easy to imagine that the most creative thinking children will grow up to be the most creative thinking adults.

If you want to encourage a generation of at risk children to creatively pull themselves up from an impoverished or abusive family cycle, or help troubled youth get out of the hole they feel stuck in, then our community needs to better equip our youth with the tools to think creatively - and that means artistically. The arts can empower a child to envision a better future, and then creatively construct a more positive life for themselves.

ARTreach Programs in Juvenile Detention Centers are building self esteem and self awareness to teach constructive, non-violent, non self-destructive methods of communicating.

ARTreach Programs in residential treatment centers are designed to support a variety of educational, therapeutic or the spiritual objectives. RTCs care for troubled youth with a range of behavioral or emotional issues stemming from the effects of physical and sexual abuse, abandonment and neglect. These centers provide therapy as well as an integrated educational program designed to help children ease back into society with the goal of re-entering the public school system once they return to their families, or are placed in new foster care homes.

All children deserve to experience art, but for children who are suffering from depression or anger, art can become a necessary tool for expressing emotions and aid in the healing process. ARTreach works to brings in inspirational and motivational presentations, educational and creative art programs that teach valuable social skills, and vocational skills in silk screening, printmaking, computer graphics, mural painting and ceramics to youth in residential treatment.

Thanks to community donations, foundations and creative partnerships ARTreach is able to offer art related programs targeted to serve troubled youth through social service agencies, CPS and juvenile justice systems.