new mexico arts and justice network

New Mexico Arts & Justice Network (NMAJN)

The New Mexico Arts and Justice Network (NMAJN) is a statewide network housed under the long-standing non-profit organization of Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts.

• NMAJN provides structure and coordination for the collaborative work of community-based arts organizations in partnership with public and private entities working with system-impacted youth and young adults, leveraging the reach and expertise of our community to amplify impact, provide thought leadership for the field, and serve as a model for effective collaboration.
• NMAJN serves system-impacted youth and young adults in New Mexico, and is made up of people who envision a future where youth are empowered, and where the systems that serve them are transformed by centering arts as a way to build the wellbeing of young people & their communities.
• NMAJN provides support and “connects the dots” between efforts and initiatives in:
  • Direct Service
  • Job Training and Return-to-Work Initiatives
  • Research & Evaluation
  • Policy / Advocacy / Community Education
  • Professional Development / Peer Learning
  • Sustainable Funding

Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts established 1996

Keshet’s M3 Program (Movement + Mentorship = Metamorphosis), was created in 1997 and uses a movement-based curriculum to teach academic subjects, social skills, and conflict resolution techniques to incarcerated and paroling youth.

• Keshet’s M3 curriculum model is currently taught daily in the NM Juvenile Justice system, tracking:
  • a 28% increase in academic skills within a single semester
  • an average of 20% reduction of negative incidents for participating youth as compared to non-M3 students
• Keshet’s M3 Program includes a post-release track, supporting youth through parole & reintegration.
  • Youth in Keshet’s Post-Release program track a 0% recidivism rate.
  • In 2007, New Mexico’s HM 108 was passed “to commend Keshet Dance Company on its dance programs, its educational and social curricula and its provision of mentorship relationships for incarcerated and paroled youth, all aimed at reducing juvenile recidivism rates.”
• In 2016, Keshet received funding to codify and pilot M3 in five communities across the United States, leading to:
  • the M3 Program being utilized within JJS programming in Minneapolis, MN; Helena, MT; and Washington, DC.
  • an inter-departmental curriculum generated in Boulder, CO (CU-Boulder) between the Law School and the Dance Department
  • the Monticello School District (Monticello, NY) becoming the first school district in the US to adopt a restorative justice practice policy district-wide.
• In 2019, Keshet received $1,000,000 in private funding to launch the NM Arts and Justice Network
• Keshet as Case Study in national study released by the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) 
  This study was officially released on Nov 17, 2020 researching the intersection of Youth Development, Arts, and Substance Use Prevention.  While Keshet’s M3 Program, and Keshet’s evolving NM Arts and Justice Network does not focus specifically on opioid use prevention (which is the focus of the study), they (the research team) felt our work was aligned for their research purposes and have included us in this report.  It’s great to have our work recognized for its impact on community; and for researchers to clearly identify the power of the arts to transform lives! To download the report CLICK HERE.
• To read more about Keshet’s Arts and Justice Initiatives in our 2019-2020 annual report, click here

For more information or to inquire about your community getting involved, contact Shira Greenberg, Shira@KeshetArts.org