Playful Thursday Project: Community/University Partners and Lessons Learned in a Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Community/university partnerships utilizing expressive arts therapy are in a unique position to offer social and emotional support adapted to the needs and varying situations of culturally diverse children living in distressed urban neighborhoods. This three-year community-based participatory research study investigated the impact of a community/university partnership on master-level counseling students, after-school teachers, and elementary school-age students. Findings suggest that a partnership between a university expressive arts social and emotional learning initiative and a community after-school program serving low-income children and families provides noteworthy benefits for both communities. Lessons learned from this partnership can serve as a model for culturally responsive and systemic community/ university collaborations.