Main IDEA: Assessing the Need for Accessible Youth Arts Programs in Main South

Sponsor Student Researchers Goal and Objectives Executive Summary

Welcome to our webpage! For our IQP, we worked with the local organization Main IDEA to assess the need for accessible youth arts programming in Main South.

Project Sponsor: Main IDEA

             

Main IDEA is a nonprofit Youth & Arts organization that offers free arts programming to youth ages 6-17 in Worcester, MA, with a priority given to residents of the Main South neighborhood. with a focus on empowerment and intrinsic motivation. These arts programs include not only visual art, but also music, dance, drama, and creative writing. Beginning as a volunteer project in 2011, Main IDEA has since developed into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2015 and offers afterschool and summer arts programming throughout the year, serving 1,500 youth annually. 

Student Researchers

From top left to bottom: Avery Vreeland, Miriam Sayegh, Jeffrey Mei, Achilles Gatsonis, and Nicholas Mills

Project Goal and Objectives

Goal

We assisted Main IDEA by determining the availability of accessible arts programs in Worcester and the impact of COVID-19 on programs to help improve the current state of art programming in Main South and demonstrated why this is an important community needs to fill.

Objectives
  1. We conducted an audit of accessible youth arts programming in Main South and Worcester.
  2. We assessed the need for more accessible youth arts programming in Main South and Worcester.
  3. We assessed the impact of COVID-19 on the accessibility of youth arts programming and the availability of funding for nonprofit organizations to meet this need.
  4. We made recommendations to Main IDEA on expanding the accessibility of youth arts programming in Main South during and following COVID-19 social distancing measures.