Empowering Processes of a Countywide Arts Intervention for High School Youth

Abstract

Arts interventions allow young people to address social problems and oppressive forces that impact their lives. Much research has explained the theory behind arts interventions; less has explored the organizational characteristics that may facilitate empowering processes for intervention consumers. The aim of this research is to contextualize dimensions of organizational empowerment in the context of a countywide arts intervention program. Retrospective, cross-sectional, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 primary consumers of a countywide arts intervention for high school students. Directed content analysis of the interview data revealed ten emergent themes that transcended the data inductively. Findings support and extend our current understanding of organizational empowerment, as it relates to a countywide arts intervention program. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.