Summary

The impact of arts on youth and the community

Story

The arts provide a creative outlet for youth that has the power to change lives. For too many young people, access to arts and cultural events are limited due to cost, location and the reduced focus on the arts in school. The Metropolitan King County Council’s Committee of the Whole next Town Hall Meeting will feature efforts taking place, locally, to connect youth to arts and cultural activities, and explore strategies for youth and young adult empowerment:

The public is invited to meet face-to-face with King County Councilmembers at an informal reception starting at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.

“Although there are many competing priorities surrounding caring for our youth,” said Council Vice Chair Jane Hague, chair of the Council’s Committee of the Whole, “it’s important to recognize the unique role that arts and cultural activities play in the lives of youth.”

The public and Councilmembers will experience performances from Creative Justice, an innovative arts-based alternative to youth incarceration. Representatives from the program will also brief Councilmembers on their work inside the County’s youth justice system.

Jim Kelly, the Executive Director of 4Culture—King County’s cultural services agency, will also discuss work being done to help engage young people in the arts.

There will also be discussion and possible action on a council motion accepting the recommendations of the Youth Action Plan, the county’s blueprint for serving the needs of King County’s young people—from infants to 24-year-olds.

After these presentations and legislative work, the Council will take public testimony on the subjects presented during the Town Hall and other issues.

More about Town Halls
Town Hall Meetings are part of Councilmembers’ initiative to “get out of the courthouse” and into the communities they serve. The first Committee of the Whole Town Hall of 2015 was held in Fall City to discuss the regional economic impact of King County farms and the challenges their operators face.

Each Town Hall is a special meeting of the Council’s Committee of the Whole, the only standing committee on which all nine members serve. It considers legislation and policy issues of interest to the entire Council.