New Inside Out Facilitator's Guide Available

Art is a language through which we can share and explore the most intimate and most profoundly moving aspects of the human spirit—including anger and violence. At ArtSafe, our programs teach adolescents to use the arts for communicating ideas and expressing thoughts without hurting themselves or others. As part of our programming at the Madison Correctional Institution, ArtSafe published InSide Looking Out, a book showcasing the writing and art of youthful male offenders, ages 14-20, in the adult system.

With funding from the Office of Criminal Justice Services (OCJS) and the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, we have created a Facilitator's Guide to assist those using InSide as an intervention component to youth-serving programs. Students examine the work of peers whose stories are powerful and of tremendous value to the at-risk young people who recognize their authenticity. Activities are aimed at developing literacy skills, connecting to community and making positive choices, as well as getting students excited about creating art. Dr. Leah Hackleman of Editorial Partners has created a dynamic literacy and critical-thinking tool that has reviewers’ (and students’) enthusiastic support.

Amy L. Kenyon, a Language Arts teacher at Harte Crossroads Public School says, “Using the guide, my inner city kids got very excited about poetry and art. I have never seen boys this age so proud and excited about poetry.”

Superintendent of the Ohio Department of Education, Susan Tave Zelman says that ArtSafe “is to be commended for creating this Facilitator's Guide. The Guide will allow teachers and youth leaders to incorporate the art and writing of the book InSide Looking Out into their programs…using stimulating activities designed to engage their participants in their own creation and expression.”

In more exciting news, A Caged Bird, written by participants at the Ohio Reformatory for Women, received the Outstanding Minority Health Education Publication Award from the Ohio Commission on Minority Health in 2004. Thanks again to the OCJS, a Facilitator's Guide for A Caged Bird will be published in 2007.

Read More Stories

Director's Corner |Success Story: Heidi McLean
Artist Profile: Suanne Goings | Project Profile : Landscapes from the Mind's Eye
New Facilitators' Guide | Thank You to All ArtSafe Funders | ArtSafe Home