The James Irvine Foundation's Museum Youth Initiative (MYI) was a four-year program that sought to strengthen the ability of California museums to educate young people during out-of-school hours and enhance the roles of museums as educational resources that contribute to improved academic achievement.

The MYI reflected the convergence of significant trends — the rising capacity of museums to serve as educational resources, the deepening need for youth programs during after-school hours, and the growing recognition that well-designed programs can have an impact on learning. Through MYI, the museums in partnership with Irvine sought to determine if the museums could effectively develop and deliver educational programs after school that would make a difference in how kids learn.

Between 2000 and 2004, Irvine provided nearly $4 million to 10 museums across California to implement and evaluate after-school programs for K–12 students as part of this program initiative. While the program content and target population for each museum varied, all of the museums worked with low-income youth and incorporated the following components into their program design:

• Focus on academic achievement and youth development
• Inclusion of youth in program planning and as members of advisory committees
• Formal relationships between museums and schools or other partner organizations in the community
• Strategies to increase museum use by youth and families

The final report on MYI, "Museums After School," (PDF, 1.1 MB), provides information on the outcomes of the initiative, evaluation observations, and lessons learned by the participating schools and museums.

To learn more about the evaluation component of this intiative, click here.