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William James Association
The William James Association is a nonprofit, community service organization named after the American philosopher, William James. The association is located in Santa Cruz, CA.

Mission Statement
The mission statement of the William James Association is to help develop various types of peacetime services. The organization "promotes work services in arts, environment, education and community development." Their main focus is to work in nontraditional settings with at risk youth's, prisoners and parolees through different kinds of transformative arts experiences.

Historical Roots
The Association was founded in 1973 by Page Smith and Paul Lee as a community work service program. It was based on the writing of William James, specifically his well-known speech turned essay, "A Moral Equivalent of War". The foundation of the philosophy of the William James Association can be found within the words of this work. For example, James said: "'When the contemporary man steps from the street, of clamorous insincere advertisement, push, adulteration, underselling and intermittent employment;. into the barrack-yard, he steps on to a higher social plane, into an atmosphere of service and co-operation and of infinitely more honourable emulations. Here at least men are not flung out of employment to degenerate because there is no immediate work for them to do. They are fed and drilled and trained for better services.'"The William James Association embraces this concept by providing people with work opportunities and training in various different fields.

Prison Arts Project
The Prison Arts Project was created in 1977 by Eloise Smith, Page Smith's wife, after an initial pilot program was tested at the California Medical Facility of Vacaville. Due to the success of the Prison Arts Program, an administrative office within the California Department of Corrections called Arts-in-Corrections (AIC), was formed. However, because of budget cuts, the state wide, federally funded AIC program was temporarily terminated in 2003 and then reinstated in 2014. The William James Association's Prison Arts Project is evidence based and backed by research from Larry Brewster, a professor of public administration and dean at the University of San Francisco. The philosophy of the Prison Arts Project is that participation in the artistic process can significantly and positively affect an incarcerated individuals sense of self-esteem and outlook on the world. The art workshops offered by this program are intended to, "teach self-discipline, problem-solving, and concentration through absorption in a specific creative endeavor." Theories which support the effectiveness of arts in corrections include: Peter Merts is a photographer based out of San Rafael, CA who has documented many projects including those of the William James Association. Check out this link to view Merts' gallery of photographs from the Prison-Arts Project.
 * Cognitive Behavioral
 * Social Learning
 * Resilience
 * Social Capital
 * Performance
 * Desistance.

Community Youth Arts Project
The Community Youth Arts Project (CYAP) offers hands-on visual, literary, and performing arts opportunities for at-risk youths in Santa Cruz County. The CYAP was founded in 1994 as an extension of the Prison Arts Project and in 1994 received the BRAVO art and film cable TV network’s “Arts for Change” Award. Students who are eligible to participate in the CYAP program are children who suffer from domestic violence, poverty, homelessness, gang affiliation, legal and substance abuse issues and/or experience learning difficulties or attention deficits. In 2015, the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County wrote a review of the CYAP which gave an in depth discussion of the impact that this program has had on certain individuals.

Poetic Justice Project
The Poetic Justice Project, adopted in 2009, is intended to promote collaboration between formerly incarcerated writers, artists, musicians and actors. The creation born of this collaboration advances social justice by examining crime, punishment and redemption from the perspective of formerly incarcerated individuals. Follow this link to learn more about the Poetic Justice Project.

Fiscal Sponsorship Program
The William James Association assists local organizations and nonprofit groups which are in need of support. This may entail providing grant-related administrative support, fiscal sponsorship or also possibly tax exempt status. The purpose of this program is to 1), "Provide managerial support and guidance to individuals and organizations so that they may produce temporary projects or begin to develop as ongoing organizations" and 2), "Ensure funding agencies and contributors that funds are well-managed, spent according to their guidelines, and that proposed services are delivered."

Some of the affiliates which benefit from the aid of the association include:
 * TeamWorks Art Mentoring and Apprenticship Program
 * Santa Cruz County Writes
 * Green Union Community Garden
 * The Urban Farmers
 * John Brown’s Body at San Quentin State Prison
 * Be Natural Music
 * Fund for Local Reporting