There is one social/cultural phenomenon that touches youth universally. It occupies many hours of their spare time and is competition in the classroom for teachers struggling to capture their attention. It can hinder a youth’s development or used wisely, it can unlock doors to places never imagined. This powerful influence is entertainment media and whether it is film, television, music, or video games, it has the ability to capture and mold young lives.

Hollywood Entertainment Museum (HEM) embraces this philosophy to operate the Education Center for the Entertainment Arts for at-risk youth, many of whom are youth offenders on probation.

As a program of HEM we are playing a leading role in changing kids’ lives by utilizing the power of entertainment and media to inspire, engage and teach youth. Our ultimate goal is to creatively educate students for a successful transition to post secondary education and employment upon graduation.

Background

In 1997, Hollywood Entertainment Museum opened the successful Education Center for the Entertainment Arts in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Division of Juvenile Court & Community Schools and the Los Angeles County Probation Department. Utilizing entertainment and media as a vehicle for learning, at-risk minority youth on probation or at risk of entering the juvenile justice system are given educational skills necessary to graduate high school and the opportunity to find a productive future working in the entertainment industry or related fields.

Since the program’s inception, hundreds of students have been part of HEM’s comprehensive integration community day school model. These students achieved at a high level demonstrated by our success rate:

• 82.5% graduated from high school
• 42% of the graduates went on to post-secondary education
• 35% went on to receive full or part time employment
• Only 11% had additional involvement with the juvenile justice system