Mission: An interdisciplinary collaborative that provides exceptional arts programming in order to build resiliency and wellness, eliminate recidivism, and transform the juvenile justice system.
Background: AHJN utilizes arts as a vehicle to heal the youth we work with and change the systems that serve them. AHJN is the only arts collaborative for incarcerated youth in the state of California and provides structure, coordination, and support to arts organizations serving youth in the Los Angeles (LA) County juvenile justice system. AHJN utilizes arts as a vehicle to heal the youth we work with and change the systems that serve them. Under AHJN, 14 member agencies serve youth in detention in LA County, providing high-quality arts education that includes creative writing, spoken word, visual arts, theater, digital media, dance, and music. In 2015, we piloted the first-ever multidisciplinary arts program for incarcerated youth in LA County. Through this 5-week pilot, arts were provided Monday-Friday at six detention camps, with a demonstration of learning/student performance each Saturday. With AHJN’s coordination of members’ offerings, arts education was provided to over 240 students via a strong and varied curriculum. Rotating modules allowed students to experience multiple disciplines including performing arts, writing, visual arts, and music. Pre- and post-evaluations demonstrated increased confidence in reading aloud, increased empathy, willingness and ability to cooperate, and hopefulness about their own future.