Fearless Art, Fearless Choices

Fayetteville, AR, 2000

Fearless Art, Fearless Choices was an attempt to open two doors—one to teens, to help them realize that their decisions can have many dimensions and repercussions; another to the public, to improve its understanding of the way young people think and act. The project brought together University of Arkansas public radio station KUAF and the Art Experience of Fayetteville, an education-based art center that emphasizes creativity and interaction. The goal was to produce an arts outreach program that would empower youth to make healthy decisions about substance abuse.

Beginning in September 2000, the Art Experience staff trained 16 recovering Fayetteville high school students as teen mentors in a support group setting. These students were paired as mentors with 16 at-risk fifth-graders. They met, weekly, in small groups to make art while exploring themselves and their relationships to one another. The student teams designed a traveling performance art exhibit that incorporated puppets, masks, and murals. Through these presentations, the project reached hundreds of children and adults, promoting healthy lifestyle choices.

KUAF amplified the project's impact with programming targeted at parents, teachers, social workers, mental health care workers, and physicians who make up KUAF's listening audience. KUAF's programming included coverage of Fearless Art, Fearless Choices; a live call-in show, which featured teen hosts and two youth counselors fielding questions from listeners; a vérité series of in-depth teen-produced reports that profiled local teen culture; teen commentaries; and a 60-second drug-prevention spot for broadcast on area commercial rock and country stations. Reports aired during NPR news programs and KUAF's weekend news hours. The KUAF Web site also profiled the project.

In addition, the station worked with local newspapers and TV stations in providing further coverage for the project.

Contact Information

KUAF-FM
Jacqueline Froelich, News Producer
Tel: 501-575-6408

The Art Experience
Jo Ann Kaminsky, Artist, Therapist, Group Facilitator and Owner
Tel: 501-442-0557

Awards:

KUAF Round One
Life & Death Decision Making
First Place, Special Reports/Documentary
— Society of Professional Journalists, Arkansas Chapter
Third Place, Documentary
— Arkansas Press Women's Association