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YouthReach Awards of $1.87M to Support Creative Youth Development

Erik Holmgren, Program Manager

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photo taken from the side of a few rows of children singing. They are wearing long sleeve t-shirts in solid primary colors.
Boston Children’s Chorus singers perform at Symphony Hall for a sold-out crowd at their 21st Annual MLK Day Tribute Concert. Photo: A Priori Photography.

“In an increasingly polarized world, the mission of our organization to connect people from different backgrounds, to understand and empathize deeply with each other, and for that connection through music to be the force for social change continues to be ever more important.” – Parking Hastings ‘24, Premier Choir President, Boston Children’s Chorus.

Mass Cultural Council is excited to announce the 31st year of YouthReach funding with an investment of $1,870,000 in 85 programs that elevate the voices and creativity of young people. YouthReach is the longest running support program for the field of Creative Youth Development (CYD) in the United States.

Creative Youth Development is a field that blends the arts, culture, and humanities with youth development practices to empower young people. It emphasizes fostering creativity, leadership, and personal growth through engaging in the arts, while also supporting the development of social, emotional, and cognitive skills.

YouthReach programs integrate substantive out-of-school arts, humanities, and science opportunities into a collaborative community response to the needs of youth.

photo of 2 young artists looking on while a 3rd young artist carefully pulls a freshly printed art piece off the press.
Provincetown Art Association visiting artist Hannah Capra giving a collagraph printmaking demo for Art on the Edge students. Photo: Grace Emmet.

YouthReach programs also span a broad range of organizations and disciplines across the Commonwealth – from internships at the New England Aquarium to creating original plays at Barrington Stage company in the Berkshires. Young people at Elevated Thought in Lawrence will be active this year painting murals throughout the city while musicians in Springfield’s Sci Tech band will be performing throughout their community and the state. Through all these programs youth will be actively involved as change agents in their community through activism and art.

Last year alone, YouthReach programs had more than 16,000 young people participating. Of those youth participants:

  • More than 75% are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color)
  • Approximately 20% live in homes where English is not the primary language spoken
  • 15% are youth with disabilities
  • More than 40% deal with violence in their neighborhoods

We celebrate this investment in numerous CYD programs that have nurtured a generation of young people who have infused social change and civic engagement with their creativity.

Applications for the next cycle of YouthReach funding will be available in early 2025.

Learn More About YouthReach

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