TY - JOUR
T1 - ‘It’s like exercise for your soul’
T2 - how participation in youth arts activities contributes to young people’s wellbeing
AU - Ennis, Gretchen Marie
AU - Tonkin, Jane
PY - 2018/3/16
Y1 - 2018/3/16
N2 - Active participation in organised youth arts activities is generally considered ‘good’ for young peoples’ social and emotional wellbeing. There is, however, less known about how youth arts participation helps to create wellbeing benefits. This paper details a retrospective narrative study that sought to understand not only what wellbeing benefits 17 participants attributed to youth arts activity, but more specifically, how these outcomes occurred. The concept of liminality, within a spaces of wellbeing approach, is used as a framework to explore and understand participant’s stories of their time at Corrugated Iron Youth Arts, in Darwin, Australia. A pattern of transformation involving three phases emerged through an analysis of participant stories. This involved (1) joining in, (2) developing skills and gaining experience, and (3) becoming a ‘real’ performer. These stages have strong resonance with contemporary conceptualisations of liminal experiences, and provide further evidence for the value of youth arts activity as a space for the development of social and emotional wellbeing.
AB - Active participation in organised youth arts activities is generally considered ‘good’ for young peoples’ social and emotional wellbeing. There is, however, less known about how youth arts participation helps to create wellbeing benefits. This paper details a retrospective narrative study that sought to understand not only what wellbeing benefits 17 participants attributed to youth arts activity, but more specifically, how these outcomes occurred. The concept of liminality, within a spaces of wellbeing approach, is used as a framework to explore and understand participant’s stories of their time at Corrugated Iron Youth Arts, in Darwin, Australia. A pattern of transformation involving three phases emerged through an analysis of participant stories. This involved (1) joining in, (2) developing skills and gaining experience, and (3) becoming a ‘real’ performer. These stages have strong resonance with contemporary conceptualisations of liminal experiences, and provide further evidence for the value of youth arts activity as a space for the development of social and emotional wellbeing.
KW - circus
KW - liminality
KW - narrative
KW - theatre
KW - wellbeing
KW - Youth arts
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85030176441&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13676261.2017.1380302
DO - 10.1080/13676261.2017.1380302
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85030176441
SN - 1367-6261
VL - 21
SP - 340
EP - 359
JO - Journal of Youth Studies
JF - Journal of Youth Studies
IS - 3
ER -