Perspectives & Collective Action

The Jerusalem Youth Chorus (JYC) is a music and dialogue program for Israeli and Palestinian teenagers in Jerusalem. We bring young people from East and West Jerusalem into the same room each week to sing together, practice structured dialogue, and build the leadership skills needed to navigate a deeply unequal and polarized reality.

If you work in music for social change, none of that is conceptually new—“music builds connection” is something we all believe. What has surprised us over time is how much the container matters.

As Sistema Ravinia prepared for in-person learning after the pandemic lockdowns, I attended a Zoom meeting with other incoming high school freshmen, most of whom were good friends. A manager asked us, “This is the first time we’ve had high school students in our program. What would you guys like to see happen?”

How are musicians creating social impact across European communities?

The Genesis Inspiration Foundation funds U.S. nonprofit programs that improve access to arts education for children, both in and out of the classroom.

A recent report from Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute and WolfBrown proves that making music creates a number of positive outcomes, especially in early childhood.

From December 8–12, the first country-wide healing arts program will take place in Asia.

I’d been missing the presence and perspective of young people in these gatherings dedicated to arts education, young people’s wellbeing, and community health through the arts. When young people were present, it was most often as performers, and occasionally as panelists alongside adults.

Throughout these events, I had been wondering, “How is it that we continue to position young people as objects of conversation, and not the subject?”

The Social Biobehavioural Research Group at University College London was recently awarded a £3.5m Wellcome Discovery Award for a seven-year research study on the impact of arts and cultural engagement (ACEng) on health outcomes.

The effort required to create systemic change can be daunting, and it can help to hear from others who are doing the work.

The Creativity for Social Change Award invites nominations for individuals and art collectives using creative means to respond to local and global challenges.