The Arts Provide Hope "Artistic expression is so important in places where people feel forgotten and marginalized and depressed and hopeless, to have that glimmer that there is a better future, that there is a better way that they just have to hold onto." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

	The Arts Provide a Positive Means of Expression “Attending Appel Farm not only helped and influenced me during the summer months but also will help me in my future endeavors. I have grown as a person and will have more opportunities to express myself in a positive way.” Marvin W., age 13, Appel Farm Rising Young Artist Scholar (2008, 2009)

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	The Arts are Vital to New Jersey Youth: Providing Positive Alternatives to Negative Behaviors and Cultivating Critical Skills for the Future Research proves that involvement in the arts both in school and after results in the following: Increased ability to express anger productively Highly developed interpersonal skills such as communication and cooperation Improved attitude toward school and relationships Raised self-esteem and belief in self-efficacy Decreased frequency of deliquent behavior Lessened number of court referrals Lowered high school drop-out rate Living the Arts through Language and Learning: A Report on Community-based Youth Organizations, Americans for the Arts Monograph by Shirley Brice, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

	Lucy C., a scholarship student at Appel Farmer Summer Camp, enjoys her turn on the potter's wheel. Appel Farm Arts and Music Center, located in Salem County, has been transforming the lives of children for five decades through an intensive four-week long residential arts immersion camp program for over 400 campers each summer. Appel Farm’s Rising Young Artist Program, supported in part by the NJ State Council on the Arts, helps provide tuition assistance for around 100 children to attend. Teachers recommend students from Newark, Camden and rural Salem County who are facing difficult situations and need hope in their lives. These students thrive in the Appel Farm environment where the core values are safety, community, personal growth and fun. Success stories are woven throughout the program's long history and lives are transformed every year.

	Learn More with Quick Links: Arts Programs for Youth-at-Risk: The Handbook, Americans for the Arts, 2003 Center for the Arts in Prevention, Health and Wellness The Arts and Youth at Risk: Global and Local Challenges, Edited by Angela O’Brien and Kate Donelan, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008 Join hundreds of Arts Plan NJ endorsers in building a better NJ through the arts! Endorse Arts Plan NJ