Young Audiences New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania

Young Audiences Arts for Learning New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania’s (YA) mission is to inspire young people and expand their learning through the arts.

Since its founding in 1973, YA has grown into the region’s most comprehensive arts in education organization. Our venue is the school. Our model of delivery brings arts experiences by professional teaching artists directly to students. By doing so, we eliminate barriers to participation and make the arts accessible to students of every socioeconomic background, geographic area, and ability. In March of 2020, YA began offering programs and services through virtual platforms. YA is continuing to provide programs in all schooling formats including in person, and virtual. 

In a typical year, YA reaches approximately 350,000 students in our region, and has a $3M operating budget. YA is comprised of 13 professional staff, and is governed and supported by a thriving board of trustees. YA collaborates with teaching artists and performance ensembles in all artistic disciplines, sharing diverse cultural art forms, and dynamic, authentic arts experiences.

All YA staff must have an abiding belief in arts education and the critical role teaching artists play in education. Young Audiences values and embraces social and racial equity and inclusiveness. We strive to remove barriers to arts participation for students and engage with the intersectionality of the communities we serve. Learn more about YA’s commitments to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access here.