by Suzanne Potter
More than 400 teen artists will gather this Saturday in Southern California for the 3rd annual Arts Advocacy Day, launching the California State Summer School for the Arts. The event, held at the California Institute of the Arts in Santa Clarita, focuses on equity in arts education. Workshops will address issues like the troubled rollout of Proposition 28, which was intended to fund new arts classes but has been redirected by some school districts.
Caitlin Lainoff, senior manager of youth engagement at the nonprofit Create CA, which sponsors the event, said the goal is to empower students.
“We want to make sure that students leave knowing they are guaranteed money for the arts and that they can connect with their administrators to see how that money is spent,” she explained.
The event aims to inspire the next generation of artists and culture makers to fight for education funding during a time of financial uncertainty. Recently, the federal government froze nearly $7 billion in education grants to evaluate their alignment with current administration priorities, delaying funding that was due July 1.
Lainoff said arts programs like theater and music are often the first cut when budgets shrink.
“Instead of Prop 28 going to additional arts classes, they may be used to fund existing ones or diverted altogether,” she warned.
In other non-related news:
Youth vaping down but tobacco still glamorized in media
According to the 7th annual “While You Were Streaming” report from the Truth Initiative, American youth are still exposed to high levels of tobacco use in popular media, despite declines in actual vaping rates.
Tobacco imagery is down in some top Hollywood shows but remains frequent in series like The Bear, Euphoria, and Stranger Things. Dr. Jessica Rath, behavioral scientist at Truth Initiative, said youth exposed to tobacco imagery are three times more likely to start vaping.
“Five out of six of the top 15 animated shows still depict tobacco, and these shows are especially popular with Gen Z,” Rath noted.
The report found 70 percent of the most binge-watched shows in 2023 included tobacco use, up 6 percent from 2022. Shows contributing to the rise include American Dad, Never Have I Ever, and South Park.
Truth Initiative encourages streaming platforms to include prevention messages or quit resources. The group also offers help to quit: Text “EXPROGRAM” to 88709.
