Abstract
Background: Art for Life is a community arts mentorship program, connecting 25 Kindergarten through high school student/patients within a large children's hospital to 25 volunteer artist-mentors for 5 months each year. The students attend a unique in-hospital academic program called the Medical Day Treatment (MDT) program, designed to help patients with many chronic medical conditions. The Art for Life program is structured and facilitated by creative arts therapists (art, music and dance/movement therapists) who recruit community artist-mentors, match them to the MDT students and then provide the therapeutic foundation for the one-on-one mentoring relationships. Methods: A qualitative program evaluation, using structured interviews with 21 individuals offering different perspectives, was designed to identify the impact of the Art for Life program on participating students and artist-mentors. Results: Common themes include the perceived importance of mentorship relationships, reported increase in students’ self-esteem, enhanced family bonds and development of new coping skills. Conclusions: Art for Life, a unique arts mentorship program for chronically ill children, supports personal growth for students and personal and professional growth for artist-mentors.
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