Founded in 1977 in Los Angeles, Free Arts (aka Free Arts for Abused Children) uses art to restore hope, resiliency, and self-esteem in children and youth who have experienced abuse, neglect, poverty, and/or homelessness. The organization pairs children with adult mentors who serve as positive role models and uses "process-oriented" art, including writing, drawing, and painting, to develop and cultivate participants' leadership skills and a belief in a brighter future. The organization currently provides creative arts programs to more than twenty-two thousand children and youth a year through partnerships with homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, housing programs, afterschool programs, and schools serving disadvantaged children.
