Imagine it. Plan it. Make it. That’s the basic formula for the popular after-school and summer classes offered by Leonardo’s Basement, a Minneapolis, Minn. program started by hands-on guy Steve Jevning seven years ago. Harvey Meyer takes a look.

The YouthARTS Web site is designed to give arts agencies, juvenile justice agencies, social service organizations, and other community-based organizations detailed information about how to plan, run, provide training, and evaluate arts programs for at-risk youth.

Seven teenage American Indian poets recently found out what it's like to teach—and have an audience of pupils willing to learn. Now, they share their lessons with Connect for Kids. By Rob Capriccioso.

When four women from a poor Milwaukee neighborhood documented their lives on camera for two weeks, the result was an eloquent portrait of their community—and a change in the women themselves. Connect for Kids has awarded the resulting documentary, My Family, My Neighborhood, My Story, the first-ever Fight Family Poverty Award. Caitlin Johnson spoke with the initiators of the project. Read her story, then watch the film from your computer.

The arts not only help children achieve in all areas of development, but they can help revitalize entire communities. Listen and look at successful arts programs, in audio and video.

The summer of 2000, Caitlin Johnson volunteered in a language arts summer school class for 6th graders in Alexandria, Virginia, she left convinced that helping kids become confident writers is a critical job—and a tough one.

Learn how to help your child—or any child—learn to appreciate the performing arts, and help promote a lifelong appreciation of cultural events and activities.

Due to funding cuts, as many as one-third of this nation's public school music programs have been dropped in recent years—and budget crunches have placed many more programs throughout the country in serious jeopardy. VH1 Save The Music is working to education and to raise funds to purchase musical instruments for public school programs. Learn what you can do as a student, an educator, or as a parent to help restore the music in schools.

Training in music and arts should be considered as important for kids as cognitive development asserts sociologist Karen Pittman. Learn more in this article from journalist Susan Kellam.