What It Is

Arts, culture, and humanities bring people together through creativity, storytelling, and shared history. They include everything from music, theater, and painting to museums, libraries, and language programs. These experiences help us understand who we are, where we’ve come from, and how we express what matters to us. For families, the arts create space to explore, imagine, and create together turning ideas into action and creativity into connection.

Why It Matters

• For everyone: Arts connect people across differences, preserve heritage, and spark imagination.

• For families: Participating in arts and culture builds stronger bonds and creates lasting memories.

• For kids: Engaging in creative expression improves confidence, empathy, and problem-solving skills.

Everyday Impact

• Individual: Volunteer as an usher, share creative work, or visit a museum.

• Family: Attend a cultural festival, host a “home gallery” night, or donate books or instruments.

• Group: Organize a mural, oral history project, or youth performance for your community.

Family Challenge Pack (Tiered Learning Path)

🟢 Tier 1: Discover

• Explore and experience the power of art and culture.

• Visit a local museum, gallery, or performance, virtually or in person.

• Read or listen to stories from different cultures as a family.

• Watch a documentary about a famous artist, dancer, or musician and discuss what inspired them.

• Reflection prompt: What does art help people say that words can’t?

🟡 Tier 2: Do

• Create, share, and express your own artistic ideas.

• Start a family art night - draw, paint, write poems, or make music together.

• Pick a cause you care about and make art inspired by it (a poster, song, or short video).

• Volunteer for a local arts event, library program, or community mural project.

• Reflection prompt: How does creating art connect you to others or to your community?

🔴 Tier 3: Lead

• Use art to inspire or organize others.

• Host a neighborhood “Art for Good” show display art that supports a cause like kindness, inclusion, or the environment.

• Teach younger kids in your community a creative skill (drawing, photography, storytelling).

• Partner with a local nonprofit to create a public art piece that raises awareness about an issue you care about.

• Reflection prompt: How can art be used to change the way people see the world?

How to Learn More [click for link]

• Smithsonian Learning Lab

• PBS LearningMedia Arts

• National Endowment for the Arts

Spotting Real vs. Fake

• Look for nonprofits tied to schools, libraries, or known cultural institutions.

• Avoid scams asking for money without clear programming.

• Check whether programs highlight inclusion, diversity, and local impact.

Youth Role Models

Bellen Woodard – At age 9, she launched the More Than Peach Project to create inclusive crayon packs so children of all backgrounds could see their skin tones represented. Her project is now used in classrooms across the U.S.

Marley Dias – As a middle schooler, she started the #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign to collect books featuring Black girls as main characters. Her movement brought diversity to children’s literature worldwide.

Kate Gilman Williams – Passionate about wildlife and advocacy, she founded Kids Can Save Animals and later wrote Let’s Go On Safari! to teach young readers how storytelling can change hearts and minds.

Joshua Williams – At age 5, he started Joshua’s Heart Foundation to fight hunger. His story shows how kids can use compassion and leadership to spark movements that grow.

Malala Yousafzai – As a teen, she risked her life advocating for girls’ education in Pakistan. She later won the Nobel Peace Prize for her global activism, proving how storytelling and courage can change the world.

Reflection Prompt

After engaging in an arts-related action:

• What did you learn?

• How did art change how you see your community?

• What story would you want to tell about your culture?

Cause-to-Action Pathways

• Individual: Share your creative work to raise awareness about a cause.

• Family: Attend or host a cultural event that celebrates diversity.

• Group: Organize a community art project to highlight a local issue.

The Big Picture

The arts are more than entertainment they’re a form of public storytelling that shapes how communities see themselves. When families share creativity through LiveImpact.io, they show that art isn’t just personal expression; it’s civic participation.