Outside Influences and Future Directions
Eaton also has a vision of expanding the summer program into a year-long institute. She is inspired to pursue this vision by the YMCA of Greater Long Beach Youth Institute, an intensive year-round program that uses technology as an integral mechanism for promoting positive youth development and enhancing the academic success and career readiness of low-income, culturally diverse urban high school students. She is also interested in the Penn Resiliency Program at the University of Pennsylvania, an educational program and philosophy that grew out of the psychology program there and which emphasizes providing troubled youth with the psychological tools and habits of mind that empower them to withstand difficulties and resolve problems effectively. These two models, when fused with arts processes and experiences, could be the foundation of an expansion of the Young Creatives Camp into a year-long program.