Art has the capacity to change the way we understand ourselves and the people around us; it expands perspectives and leads the way to a richer appreciation of our communities and our roles within them. In order to give young people the tools they need to succeed in school, life, and our City, we must invest in their creativity. Inclusiveness is at the heart of the Office's youth development programs; in alignment with our Commitment to Racial Equity, ARTS takes into consideration historical inequities in allocating resources across communities, to ensure these fundamental opportunities are accessible to everybody. Investing in our youth is an investment in Seattle's future.

The Creative Advantage

The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture's arts education initiative, The Creative Advantage, works towards ensuring that arts opportunities is available to every student at every school in Seattle. The Creative Advantage is a unique public-private partnership between the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), Seattle Public Schools (SPS), and The Seattle Foundation. By addressing inequities in access to the arts and restoring arts education to all Seattle classrooms, The Creative Advantage reinvests in Seattle's students and our community's economic and creative future.

The Creative Advantage operates under a set of goals that every student in every school should receive:

1. Culturally relevant arts instruction to build sequential arts skills
   Research has shown that arts instruction helps develop students 21st century skills including creativity, critical thinking, communications, collaboration, growth mindset and perseverance.
2. Instruction from certified arts teachers
   Providing additional training to arts instructors increases their students' likelihood of meeting state arts standards.
3. Integrated arts instruction
   Integrated arts learning is an approach to teaching and learning in which students engage in a creative process that connects an art form with another subject to promote deeper learning.
4. Arts partnerships with community-based organizations and teaching artists
   Partnerships increase student engagement in the arts, build bridges between schools and the arts community, and broaden students’ experiences in the arts.
5. Opportunities in high school to connect arts to careers
   Arts are key to students’ academic growth and their development into creative adults and thoughtful, engaged citizens.

The Creative Advantage can be found online at www.creativeadvantageseattle.org, at facebook.com/TheCreativeAdvantage and on twitter @SeattleArtsEd.

City of Music Career Day

In 2017, ARTS continued its partnership with Seattle Public Schools, Seattle Music Commission, Seattle Office of Film + Music, and Seattle Arts Commission to produce City of Music Career Day and Career Day Roadshows. These free events provide a means for students ages 16-24 to learn about the diverse opportunities and career pathways available in the music industry. Through networking, experiential learning, engaging workshops, and performance, participants were exposed to a wide range of music-related careers including performance, management, concert production, non-profit management, record label operations, retail, licensing, journalism, broadcasting, gaming, and more. The 2017 keynote speakers were local powerhouses Ben Gibbard, Sassyblack, and Ahamefule J. Oluo.

Youth Arts

Youth Arts funds teaching artists and organizations providing out-of-school arts training. In the most recent grant cycle, spanning September 2017 to September 2018, the Youth Arts program awarded $162,000 to 25 artists, art/cultural organizations, youth service agencies and higher education institutions serving youth.

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