Colorado: YouthReach Colorado Evaluation

In 2005, the Colorado Council on the Arts (CCA) initiated the YouthReach program to assist young people in making a successful transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Informed by earlier efforts in Ohio and Massachusetts, the Colorado program funds community-based organizations to integrate high quality arts experiences into youth development services. The CCA commissioned a comprehensive evaluation of the program from the National Research Center. The evaluation revealed that nearly half of participating youth reported improved academic engagement and involvement as a result of the program they attended. More than two-thirds reported they are better at taking responsibility for their actions and feel better about their futures. The evaluation also revealed that the YouthReach out-of-school programs raise the overall sense of self of youth participants and help to develop life skills more than other types of out-of-school programs. To learn more about the evaluation methods and results, view a summary or the full report. For more information about the YouthReach evaluation, contact CCA Executive Director Elaine Mariner.