School of Theatre > For teens > Teen Council > Claim Your Arts
about us
claimyourARTS is a Teen Council committee, open to teens interested in advocating for the arts in their communities! We host trainings and conferences, visit politicians on the local, state and national level and mobilize around issues affecting arts education. Join by emailing teencouncil@berkeleyrep.org to find out about the next meeting date.
claimyourARTS manifesto
I am an arts advocate. The arts are vital for my education. They empower and inspire. The arts are necessary for my development as a person. They help me to be open-minded, empathetic and creative. The arts improve my community and my world because they generate and captivate. I will speak up for the arts because every person, no matter their background, deserves to be unique, blissfully playful and confident. This is our education. Our voice. Our arts. And this is why I am an arts advocate.
current projects
- claimyourARTS is working to send four teens to the Theatre Communications Group National Conference in Boston in June. As part of a larger fundraising campaign, claimyourARTS bracelets are available as a gift for those who donate to help get these delegates to the conference.
- We’re planning a flashmob in the Bay Area! Keep your ears and eyes open!
- We’re starting a “Letter to the Editor” campaign about the importance of arts education in our communities.
- We’re working on creating a toolkit so that students can start claimyourARTS initiatives in their schools.
past projects
April 2012
- We trained and sent a delegation of six teens to Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. They documented their trip on our Tumblr!
March 2012
- We produced an arts advocacy PSA based on the winning design from February’s conference. Click here to watch!
- We celebrated Art is Education Month and Theatre in Our Schools Month by spreading important arts advocacy facts through school announcements and social media.
February 12, 2012
- We hosted a teen arts advocacy conference and kicked off the claimyourARTS initiative. 60 teens attended and began their work as advocates for arts education through training games, debates and the design of an arts advocacy PSA. Through advocacy Mad Libs, attendees also put together the claimyourARTS manifesto (above). To learn more about the event, you can read our program article from In Paris (PDF), this Berkeley Rep blog post or our Storify account of the live-tweeting that happened throughout the day!
want to advocate for the arts in your community? here are some resources to get you started!
We will continue to update these resources so if you have anything to contribute, please email teencouncil@berkeleyrep.org.
Advocacy toolkits
The Kennedy Center Arts Education Advocacy Toolkit (PDF)
California Alliance for Arts Education Action Center Toolkit
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies Advocacy Toolkit
Want to know what’s going on in the world of arts advocacy?
“Reinvesting in Arts Education” commissioned by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PDF)
California’s Arts and Cultural Ecology by The James Irvine Foundation
Keynote Address at Arts Advocacy Day 2011 delivered by Kevin Spacey
“A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future” by Daniel Pink
“A Missing Piece in the Economic Stimulus: Hobbling Arts Hobbles Innovation” by Sir Ken Robinson
“Bring on the Learning Revolution!” by Sir Ken Robinson
“The Well-Rounded Curriculum” by Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
Americans for the Arts news page
Organizations and people to follow on Twitter
@teen_council, @NEAarts, @NEAToday, @ArtsActionFund, @CalArtsCouncil, @arneduncan, @ArtisEd, @Americans4Arts, @theatrebayarea, @CalArtEdAssoc, @TCG, @MichelleObama
Important arts advocacy dates
March
April
September
October
(You must have Adobe Acrobat to view PDFs. Download a free Adobe Acrobat reader.)
Check out our other Teen Council programs
#claimyourARTS public service announcement
One of the first #claimyourARTS projects, this PSA encourages viewers to support arts in schools!
why are you involved in claimyourARTS?
“Art is crucial to creating a better, more progressive world in every sense. It allows us to communicate through different means and learn more about other cultures; it teaches us to be empathetic and expressive; and it helps us be more creative and innovative.”
—Maddy, Arts Advocacy Day Teen Delegate
“We need to get our voices heard! If we want to support the ideal that art is for everyone, this is the perfect place to start.”
—Oscar, Teen Council Membership Chair, TCG Teen Delegate
“I am a strong believer that arts advocacy has the potential to save programs and institutions that act as outlets for people to immerse themselves and express their creative and independent thoughts.”
—Tessa, Teen Council Arts Advocacy Chair, TCG Teen Delegate
what can you do?
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr to stay up to speed.
Email teencouncil@berkeleyrep.org to find out about our next meeting date and get in on the planning process.
school of theatre
major sponsors
The S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation / The Mosse Foundation for Education and the Arts / The Woodlawn Foundation
