Over the past two years, I have become fascinated about how the government works and how policy affects the citizen directly. I follow election results in the United States and the rest of the world, read countless articles about policy, most notably housing policy in Minneapolis and SB 50 in California, and enjoy books written about American politicians and government officials (I highly recommend Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro). However, all of these representations of the world of government are just that, representations. It’s hard to judge what exactly goes on each level of government.

My involvement with the Youth Advisory Council has given me more clarity. Over the past three months at the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, I have been able to see the “man behind the curtain.” Not only have I been given a front row seat, I have been ceded an invitation to make decisions and give my opinions on the state of arts education in Los Angeles and where it should be heading. 

In my last blog post, I described the beginning of process of redoing the Regional Plan For Arts Education for Los Angeles County. I participated in Community Forums and worked with the rest of the council for our beginning meetings. However, we have been diligently working since then; crafting ideas, strategies, and recommendations for what the youth want to see in the new regional plan. 

Advisory Work Groups

One of the most significant ways I have been able to see the “nitty-gritty” of the process is through the Advisory Work Groups. This group is “a diverse body established to act in an advisory capacity to the LA County Department of Arts and Culture in the development of an updated regional plan for arts education” (Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture). As a part of the effort to include youth participation in the plan, the Department of Arts and Culture reserved five seats for Youth Advisory Council members to participate in these meetings. At these meetings, arts commissioners, non-profit leaders, education professionals, and business trailblazers all assembled to weigh in on the data from the Community Forums and help with the important task of crafting a powerful plan for the dynamic region(s) of Los Angeles. 

Being Proved Wrong (In A Good Way)

On July 30, I attended the first Advisory Work Group along with four of my colleagues in the Youth Advisory Council. Honestly, I was a bit intimidated. These people run the arts organizations I have looked up to all my life. The arts commissioners represent some of the most influential arts leaders in Los Angeles. Educational professionals with more experience than the amount of time I have lived sat across from me. I was unsure about how my experience would be valued in the context of this setting. 

I could not be more wrong. 

As the meeting began and we broke off into small groups, the Youth Advisory Council’s opinions were not only tolerated but seen as valuable contributions to the conversations. As we began to work on the data concerning arts dedication, conversations were altered and changed for the better because of having young people in the room to speak about issues that affected and continue to affect us. Although the Youth Advisory Council comes from diverse upbringings and represents countless communities, all five of us contributed to the conversation and clearly communicated our concern for the issues. The other people at the meeting recognized the validity of our experience. 

In light of many policy decisions being made in non-visible ways, the LA County Department of Arts and Culture has purposefully included young people in these important decisions. Because of the rarity of youth input to policy decisions, it feels radical and counter-cultural, but the effect is palpable. 

Aside from my own experience, many people at the Advisory Work group testified to the importance of young people being an integral part of the conversation. They were encouraged to not only have our presence at the meeting but savored our injections into the conversation and the perspectives we offered. As young career-minded individual, often youth is looked at like a distasteful characteristic. In this setting of the LA Department of Arts and Culture, youth is appraised as an asset. 

At the second meeting, the five council members who were present echoed the sentiment of youth being valued and their opinions being taken seriously. 

Supporting and Developing Creative Careers

On September 9, I attended the final meeting of the Advisory Work Group. In this meeting, the topic of discussion was about creative careers and supporting youth in achieving successful careers in creative fields and professions. I felt particularly passionate about creative careers and how this plan can support more young people for dynamic careers in the arts and in the creative fields. As someone who has been working in the arts world and has had to support himself through college with this type of work, I understand the struggles of pursuing these career fields. You can feel unsupported, discouraged, and pessimistic. I am extremely grateful to have supportive parents and family. However, not all young people pursuing creative careers have this type of support. That is why I believe that giving young people tools, financial support, and work opportunities is imperative in creating pathways to the creative fields. 

These three meetings are representative of the non-visible part of policy creation. As part of the Youth Advisory Council, I have been included on the important arts education decisions in Los Angeles County. 

I am thankful for the Los Angeles Department of Arts and Culture for creating the Youth Advisory Council. 

I am thankful for the platform they have given youth. 

I am optimistic about the future of arts education in Los Angeles.