Arts Connect

Arts Connect is an arts-based intervention and recidivism prevention program offered in partnership with Pierce County Juvenile Court. The program serves female-identifying youth (including cisgender girls, transgender girls, gender non-conforming, genderqueer, and girl-identified youth) ages 12–18 who are involved in probation, diversion, dependency, truancy, or considered at-risk in Pierce County.

Led by Hilltop Artists’ Outreach Team in collaboration with professional teaching artists, court staff, and community partners, Arts Connect offers quarterly 10-week sessions focused on creativity, connection, and personal growth. Youth engage in glass art, ceramics, photography, printmaking, creative writing, and other art forms, through twice weekly, three-hour classes held at Tacoma Public School sites.

The program fosters pro-social development, teamwork, healthy self-expression, and leadership skills through a social justice and restorative justice lens. Arts Connect is grounded in a commitment to racial equity and to creating inclusive, healing-centered spaces for learning and transformation.

Each session includes:

• Hands-on artmaking guided by professional artists
• Group discussions and writing exploring identity, society, and personal growth 
• A shared meal and closing circle, where every young person is invited to share their voice and reflect on their experiences
• Optional early arrival for snacks, homework help, outreach support, or simply a safe space to build relationships with peers and trusted adults

Arts Connect helps young people build confidence, community, and creative tools for navigating their lives with purpose and resilience.

Each Arts Connect session begins with conversations about real needs in our community, such as food insecurity, homelessness, and domestic violence, and the local nonprofit organizations working to address them. Over family-style dinners and while making art together, youth explore these issues and collectively select one organization to support through a service learning project.

As part of this process, the chosen nonprofit visits the program to connect directly with the youth, sharing their mission and impact. This dialogue helps youth understand how their creative efforts can contribute to broader community change.

At the end of the 10-week session, Arts Connect hosts a culminating showcase event, inviting friends, families, court staff, judges, and community members to celebrate the young artists’ growth. Youth present their artwork and share personal reflections, stories, and journeys through art. They also educate the audience about the social issue they’ve chosen to support and raise funds for the partner organization by selling their art.

In addition to individual pieces, youth collaboratively create a larger artwork to donate to the organization, something meaningful to display in board rooms, entryways, or gathering spaces. The showcase often features live glassblowing or hands-on art demonstrations, giving youth the opportunity to share the skills they’ve developed and the pride they’ve found in their creative work.

Through this process, young people not only grow as artists, they step into their power as changemakers.

“Thank you so much for using your creativity to support our program! You’re amazing!”
– Prison Pet Partnership

Arts Connect is open to female-identifying youth ages 12–18 in Pierce County, including:

• Cisgender girls
• Transgender girls
• Gender non-conforming and gender queer youth
• Any girl-identified youth

Youth are eligible if they are currently involved in or considered at-risk for involvement in the Pierce County Juvenile Court system, including those on:

• Probation
• Diversion
• Dependency
• Truancy
• At-Risk Youth

Referrals are made through Pierce County Juvenile Court staff, probation counselors, case aides, or community-based partners.

“The donation from the Hilltop Artists was an inspiring reminder of what young people accomplish when they work together with care. The heart and effort they put into supporting our organization was moving. We continue to be grateful for their support with the knowledge that they are the ones who will be the strongest voices in our community.”
-Anna Huber, Tacoma Community House

Arts Connect integrates research-based best practices, including hands-on arts learning, reflective writing, adult mentorship, public presentations, service learning, and youth-led philanthropy, to reduce risk behaviors associated with recidivism and support long-term positive development.

Grounded in restorative and social justice principles, the program is designed to:

• Foster a sense of personal and group recognition and belonging: Build community and a strong sense of identity by creating inclusive spaces where youth feel seen, heard, and valued.
• Build self-esteem and creative expression: Empower youth to explore who they are and express themselves through meaningful, hands-on art experiences.
• Promote positive attitudes and behaviors: Encourage growth in accountability, motivation to learn, and a spirit of contribution through structured, supportive routines.
• Strengthen communication skills: Develop reading, writing, collaboration, and public speaking abilities through projects that require thoughtful expression and presentation.
• Support healthy relationships: Create opportunities to build trust and meaningful connections with pro-social adults, mentors, and peers in a safe, nurturing environment.
• Enhance critical thinking and problem-solving: Engage in both independent and group-based projects that promote conceptual thinking, decision-making, and reflection.
• Develop leadership skills and connection to community: Inspire youth to take initiative, share their ideas, and make meaningful contributions to their communities through collective action.
• Center youth voice and choice: Empower young people to make key decisions throughout the program, from artmaking to selecting service partners and leading showcase presentations, reinforcing their agency and leadership.
• Foster civic engagement through service learning: Connect youth to real-world issues such as food insecurity, homelessness, and domestic violence. Through community partnerships, youth educate others and take tangible action by raising funds and donating collaborative artwork to local nonprofits.
• Create a healing-centered, trauma-informed space: Provide consistent, supportive routines, including shared meals, closing circles, and access to outreach support, where youth can build resilience, take healthy risks, and grow in community.
• Uplift equity and justice: Address race, oppression, and systemic barriers by engaging youth through a restorative and social justice lens that centers identity, healing, and empowerment.

• Prepare healthy dinners for the group
• Become a volunteer and transport youth to and from weekly sessions
• Donate to Hilltop Artists in support of Arts Connect
• ‘Like’ the Hilltop Artists’ Facebook page or ‘Follow’ us on Instagram
• Get involved and sign up for an Arts Connect volunteer opportunity by visiting our volunteer page

“We are so grateful to have been included in Arts Connect’s service learning project. We felt genuinely welcomed in their space, and it was deeply moving to witness the creativity and intention behind what the young people created. They brought real curiosity to the intersections of our programs and saw how their artistic efforts could advance our shared mission. It was true labor of love, communal care and collaboration.”
-Lorraine Stone, Big Homie Program