Art for Justice
Road Map for Life Workshops©

An innovative, effective program that helps youth who have caused harm in their neighborhoods learn to make choices to turn away from destructive behaviors and build on strengths and abilities that will lead to success!

Statement of Need: High levels of violence and crime in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties are causing harm to communities and increasing levels of incarceration for youth.

Goal: The goal of the Road Map for Life Workshops is to prevent violence and crime.

Youth Served: Workshops are offered to youth who are adjudicated delinquent, have involvement with the Department of Human Services, a parent in prison, or live in high risk neighborhoods.

Workshop Description: Road Map for Life Workshops are a series of ten sessions that help high risk youth identify their strengths, understand the legal consequences of high risk behaviors, and learn to make choices that lead to constructive lifestyles. Based on Cognitive Theory, the Workshops combine a life skills program that targets improved social cognitive skills with an art program that personalizes and intensifies the learning. The Workshops use an innovative, narrative approach that presents the original art and statements of Charles Lawson, an offender whose experiences serve as an instructive, cautionary tale for the youth.  During each session the youth identify and challenge belief systems that lead to destructive behaviors and explore choices that build on individual strengths and will lead to constructive behaviors.

With the support of a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Art for Justice presented the Road Map for Life Workshops at New Life Youth and Family Services in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in July 2010.

Workshop Evaluation:The Workshops have been presented five times to a total of 56 youth. Evaluations completed by Art for Justice showed that 43 of the youth scored in the high range, 12 of the youth scored above average, and 1 youth scored slightly below average.

Participant Quotes: Excerpts from some of the youth who have participated in the Workshops:

... all of the workshops are very good and so is the artwork.                   
... get a place or art store and let more kids do the Road Map.
... bring a voice recording or video tape of Charles Lawson to see the agony in his eyes.
... keep pushing the points and talk to everybody they can.
... keep going to placements like this to reach more kids.                                                                                            
…do this all over the world so other kids can learn what I’ve learned.
… if I get to 21, I want to participate in the Road Map for Life Workshops.
… my choice is to learn to deal with my anger.
… I made a decision to stay away from guns.
… I am motivated to try again to make it when I go home.

Workshop Initiatives for 2011: Art for Justice is seeking resources to make it possible to present the Workshops to more schools and facilities that serve youth in Philadelphia and the surrounding Counties.

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