Engaging Students in Contemporary Issues and Civic Action Through Art
Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation
Final Report—November 1, 2012
The $20,000 grant from The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation was used to support youTHink
School Services and Youth Services, which serve upper elementary through high school students,
primarily from low-income, low-performing public schools.
Progress on activities and objectives: youTHink, a program of the Zimmer Children's Museum,
uses the power of art to engage diverse learners and to foster critical thinking about local and global
contemporary issues. youTHink introduces concepts of social justice, social responsibility and community
involvement to middle and high school students both in and beyond the classroom. youTHink’s School
Services provide art/education lessons in Los Angeles area public schools along with professional
development opportunities for teachers, while Youth Services provide meaningful art, leadership and
community involvement opportunities for middle and high school youth beyond the classroom. The
Gilbert Foundation grant period covers half of two school years, the spring semester of the 2011-12
school year and most of the fall semester of the 2012-13 school year.
School Services: youTHink School Services has served 2,287 students at 24 schools since January
2012. These students participated in a variety of youTHink lessons: Civic and Social Responsibility,
Visions of Home, Knowledge and Education, and Community Quilts.
Comments from teachers include:
• The youTHink lessons kept students engaged in critical thinking and analysis of issues that affect
their lives and the lives of those in their community. They came away from the lessons with a new
understanding of the world as well as a new interest in how current events can shape their lives
and the lives of those around them.
• My students collaborated, shared ideas and gave their opinions. I believe that the youTHink
lesson helped them express how they feel about issues that are important to them. For some, I
think they felt good knowing that others related to them. I think this project gave the students
more confidence in expressing their points of view.
• Students got to experiment with creative expression about an issue they care about, and having
space in school is very significant. Not everything that needs to be communicated can be
expressed exclusively through writing. They can see that art is a text that they can create as well
as analyze.
• For all of my students this lesson was powerful and engaging. In the last session, one student,
who never participates, shared his ideas and project. He was definitely reticent to put his ideas on
the table, but by the end of his presentation was speaking more freely and openly about his
project and perception of gang related violence. I think initially he was finding humor due to
anxiety, however, was much more mature leaving the public speaking space.
Youth Services: Youth Services has served 653 students since January 2012. Some students attended
multiple events for a total of 864 units of service. Youth Services activities offered include:
A program of the Zimmer Children’s Museum
6505 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel.: (323) 761-8311 ♦ Fax: (323) 761-8990
www.youthink.org

Internship: Thirty-three middle and high school students from 23 different schools completed the 2011-
12 internship in June. These students committed to a year-long program to develop their leadership and
communication skills, and to learn tools to take action to make a difference in their communities. Interns
attended two training/ planning meetings per month, hosted new students at a range of Student
Programs, and participated in a series of unique projects detailed below.
Student reflections about their participation in the internship:
• I learned that I have the power to strongly affect people and change their lives. I learned that
making social change is possible.
• I learned that I can speak out effectively and stand up for what I truly believe in.
• I have grown as a result of the internship mainly by becoming a role model and leader. I learned
to take charge in helping someone and being the best I can be.
• The most important thing I know about myself if that I can change and show the world who I am.
Sometimes I had difficulties talking to the public, but once you have done something new, it’s an
accomplishment. I had practice as an intern to see how a leader behaves and how to speak.
• I am a leader not only because I can take charge but I know how to collaborate with others and
listen to their opinions.
• I’ve developed persistently, and this makes me a better leader by allowing me to not give up on a
goal that would make a positive impact.
One hundred and forty-nine students applied for the 2012-13 internship. Due to increased interest in the
internship, we decided to develop two cohorts of interns. In 2012-13, there are 35 Leadership Interns
and 12 Action Interns. The Action Internship is designed as a pilot, for students wanting the opportunity
to develop and implement their own community action projects.
Teens and Government in Action: Forty-eight middle and high students from 18 different schools,
including youTHink student interns, participated in Teens and Government in Action (T&G) this spring.
This 7-session project was designed to teach students about the workings of government and the role
they can play in the legislative process. Students visited Los Angeles City Hall, meeting with city officials
and learned about the workings of city government. They then selected a bill of importance to them and
traveled to Sacramento to advocate for this bill in meetings with their legislators at the Capitol.
Student reflections about the T&G project:
• We need to be involved with the government to know what is going on.
• It doesn’t matter what age you are, because you can still make change.
• I see youth as the catalyst for change.
• When we were at City Hall I was treated as an adult rather than a teenager, and I liked that.
• I see that youth can actually sign a form or a petition and go up the chambers and discuss
anything they want to resolve. They too can voice their opinion.
• I think it’s important for youth to visit with government officials. We have a lot of opinions. So
instead of waiting, we should actually do something.
Student Programs: Six hundred and fifty-three students took part in youTHink student programming in
2012, including:
o Community canvassing with Amnesty International
o An Art & Nature event at Anabolic Monument Park
o A hike in Topanga State Park with Inner City Outings
o An Art & Nature event at the LA River
o A 2-session Theatre for Social Justice workshop
o Building a community garden at Quincy Jones Elementary School with Enrich LA
A program of the Zimmer Children’s Museum
6505 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel.: (323) 761-8311 ♦ Fax: (323) 761-8990
www.youthink.org

o Compton Creek Cleanup as part of Big Sunday
o A 2-session art workshop called Picture Me, conceptualized by Peter Schulberg of
Eco-logical Art
o A 3-day Art & Nature camp at La Tierra de la Culebra Park
o A visit to the Hasbro Hub- meeting with artists and producers
o Coastal Cleanup Day with Heal the Bay
o Models of Pride Conference (students will be co-facilitating two workshops)
o Dia de los Muertos workshop with Self-Help Graphics
College Access Project: We continue to expand the college services we offer our students. In 2012, we
have served 225 students through college prep workshops and college visits. Some students attended
multiple events, for a total of 303 units of service. This year we offered college visits to Cal State Channel
Islands, the Art Center College of Design and UC Irvine. This summer we held two College Camps on
USC’s campus. These were college prep intensive programs- one was for rising seniors and the other for
rising 9th
-11th
graders. youTHink alumni currently in college play an active role in facilitating College
Camps and other college access programming. We are offering college essay writing workshops for
seniors this summer and fall. We are delighted that one of the students we worked with last year
received a Gates Millennium Scholarship and is now attending UCLA.
Student Transportation: Providing transportation for students to attend meetings and events
continues to be critical to our program’s success. It has enabled us to serve more students from
different schools and neighborhoods. Offering transportation also has fostered trust with parents,
and increased their willingness to let their children participate in programs far from home, which
sometimes end late in the evening.
Adjustments made to program design: The most significant change we’ve made is to develop two
cohorts of interns to accommodate the increased interest we’ve had this year, and the range of
experience these applicants have. Existing staff has worked hard to ensure that we deliver the same
quality of programming (and quantity, as much as possible) and that we continue to be as responsive to
student needs as possible. To that end, youTHink staff has become increasingly involved in providing
college and career support and resources, as well as offering other community resources and referrals,
both one-on-one and by expanding some of our programs.
Achievements and challenges: This has been another exciting and successful year. Students
continue to reflect on the ways that their participation in youTHink has been transformative for them.
youTHink staff continue to deliver high quality programming and to go the extra mile for students.
The youTHink Advisory Board continues to grow and is responsible for raising awareness and support for
youTHink in the community. They have adopted a number of key fundraising projects, and are eager to
expand their success this year.
youTHink alumni are active members of youTHink Advisory Board, and they have begun to take an active
role in raising funds to support youTHink. They participated in the LA Marathon 5K, and along with staff,
raised nearly $7,000. This spring, they began a project with local artist Lee Silton, making earrings from
vintage beads. All proceeds from the earrings benefit youTHink and the Zimmer. They have raised over
$2,500 from that project so far.
Our greatest challenge continues to be that demand for our services surpasses our staffing and budget
capacities. The numbers of students expressing interest in our Youth Services programs truly test our
capacity. We had 149 applicants for the 2012-13 student internship, and we had 155 students attend
Coastal Cleanup Day in September. We are excited by this level of student interest. Yet we are
challenged by knowing that our budget and staffing do not permit us to accept all students, or to offer
them the same level of personal attention or intimate interactions with staff that have become a key part
A program of the Zimmer Children’s Museum
6505 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel.: (323) 761-8311 ♦ Fax: (323) 761-8990
www.youthink.org

of the youTHink experience. Nonetheless, we continue to maintain levels of services and do the best we
can with the resources we have, and think creatively about how to increase our capacity with limited
increase in costs.
Progress on program evaluation: We are delighted that Dr. Shelly Harrell of Pepperdine
University has agreed to conduct an in-depth evaluation of our internship programs. She and a
team of graduate students have designed a variety of evaluation tools. Pre-tests were completed at
the outset of the internship, and post-tests will be completed at the end of the year. Graduate
students will be attending interns meetings and events throughout the year to collect additional
data about the impact of the program and students’ experiences. They will generate a report with
their findings in the summer of 2013.
In addition to comments from teachers and youth compiled from program evaluations and included
in different sections above, quantitative results from teachers who completed our online evaluation
tool for youTHink lessons in spring and fall 2012 found the following:
♦ 94% of respondents rated youTHink lessons as Excellent at helping students recognize and use
art as a means of communication.
♦ 94% of respondents rated youTHink lessons as Excellent at teaching connections between the
use/creation of art and social issues
♦ 94% of respondents rated youTHink lessons as Excellent at engaging students in discussion that
demonstrates their critical thinking.
How funds are being used: Grant funds were used to cover a portion of youTHink staff salaries,
purchase program materials, and provide transportation for students to be able to participate in Youth
Services activities.
Personnel & Program Facilitators 13,000
Art & Program Supplies 400
Student transportation 6,600
TOTAL $20,000
Overall impressions of where project is headed: youTHink continues to grow and offer creative,
meaningful and engaging programming for youth and schools. We continue to partner with schools
and small learning communities, and work to provide more comprehensive services for them. In
response to student needs, we are providing more college support for high school students and their
families. The youTHink Alumni Network continues to grow and provide support for youTHink alumni
throughout their time in college and into careers. With a new Chair, youTHink Advisory Board members
are increasingly invested in youTHink and in their connections with our students and alumni, and are
taking increasing leadership and responsibility within the organization.
A program of the Zimmer Children’s Museum
6505 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 100, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel.: (323) 761-8311 ♦ Fax: (323) 761-8990
www.youthink.org