Pathways Recording Arts and Music Production Program

About the Program

Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has spiked the rate of disconnected youth in Maricopa County. In 2019, it was estimated that 12% of youth ages 16-24 were not in school or employed. Today that rate is 25%. This extreme disconnection is reflected in the number of youth in the county’s juvenile detention center who enter not enrolled or regularly attending school. In the fall of 2020, the Maricopa County School Superintendent’s Office transformed the juvenile detention education program to focus on inspiration and reconnection to school and work. The cornerstone of this transformation is the Pathways Recording Arts and Music Production program. Pathways inspire students to reconnect and stay engaged with school while providing an avenue for self-expression and recovery from the traumas that led to incarceration.