Creative Wellbeing

Creative Wellbeing Curriculum Guide outlines the foundational concepts that inform the approach and offers resources and strategies for practitioners for how arts and mental health can support youth and adults.

In 2023-24, teaching artists provided Creative Wellbeing for youth and adults through in-person and virtual direct services, professional development sessions, and arts-based workshops. Youth and adults receiving direct services and participating at some special events were surveyed about their experiences. These end-of-year reports summarize the data from those surveys and elaborate on learnings about Creative Wellbeing affecting their mental health and protective factors including social-emotional competencies and social support.

In its second evaluation of the Creative Wellbeing approach, Harder+Company Community Research found that young people who participated experienced positive social-emotional benefits while also exploring their interests, building technical art skills, and increasing their access to the arts. Adults who participated in the program are experiencing and embodying Creative Wellbeing values and healing themselves through this work. They further found that

The Creative Wellbeing learning community on the Wellbeing for LA Learning Center platform is a collaborative and generative space for adults who support youth and families from Los Angeles County to be present together, nurture community care, and uplift collective wisdom to explore strategies, tools, and resources relating to healing-centered arts engagement and mental health promotion. Join virtual quarterly gatherings and engage through our virtual hub for ongoing asynchronous networking.

In spring 2022, the LA County Youth Commission approached the Arts Ed Collective with an interest in incorporating artwork produced by youth into the Helping Centering Youth Voices in Mental Health report to the Board of Supervisors, to make the report more accessible to youth and other members of the general public.

A webinar exploring new strategies for teachers and students to express themselves through the arts. Presented by LA County Office of Education with teaching artists from the Arts for Healing and Justice Network.

An interactive video that demonstrates how to implement freestyle, hip hop, and the two steps dance moves in the classroom. Part of the LA County Office of Education's All In: Safe and Welcoming Schools Webinar Series.

Teaching Artist Eddie Ruiz demonstrates how you can use poetry for social-emotional learning in this guided practice. Part of the LA County Office of Education's All In: Safe and Welcoming Schools Webinar Series.

A a journey of self-discovery through poetry hosted by Director of Street Poets Inc. Matthew "Cuban" Hernandez. Part of the LA County Office of Education's All In: Safe and Welcoming Schools Webinar Series.

Laena Myers-Ionita and Jason Heath from Jail Guitar Doors walk you through a writing exercise showing you how to use your words and personal story to write a song. Part of the LA County Office of Education's All In: Safe and Welcoming Schools Webinar Series.