Arts-Informed Health Awareness: A Community Intervention in Southwest Detroit (2010)

Undergraduate: Lacey Campbell

Faculty Advisor: Lorraine Gutierrez
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

---

While sexual and dating violence affect youth of all backgrounds, it may have disproportionate effects on low-income urban youth (Miller, 2008; Finkelhor, 1990; Fredland, 2005; Young 2008). Southwest Detroit is a low income urban community highly populated with African American and Latino families.

To address these risks in Southwest Detroit, the Detroit Initiative has created the AHA program, which stands for Arts-informed Health Awareness. It is a community intervention program aimed to educate and promote healthy behavior through arts-based activities; sessions more recently focusing upon

healthy adolescent relationships. In order to assess the needs and interests of youth in Southwest Detroit, focus groups were conducted. Within the focus groups, different themes of healthy and unhealthy relationships were discussed, as well as interest in a new arts-based intervention program. Both boys

and girls supported the notion of a new arts-based intervention program; however they differed in their perceptions of relationships. Staff members that work closely with the youth were also interviewed regarding their knowledge of adolescent relationships and their concerns. Weeks after the focus groups,

a three week pilot for AHA was conducted with youth ages 11-17. Sessions included arts activities and group discussions.