This study examines existing research on the use of arts-based methods in approaching issues sensitive for youths and children. We conducted a qualitative, systematic review of twenty academic publications on this topic from 1997 to 2017. The participants in the studies reviewed were children and young people under 21 years of age. A thematic analysis of the publications let us map the methodological and pedagogical potentialities of the arts. Our analysis revealed that the arts engage where verbal methods are insufficient, where traditional approaches that stand on confessional spoken and written language are uninformative, and where issues are too vulnerable to communicate with words.
We found that similar patterns exist in use of the arts in different fields, indicating the power of the arts: one, in recognising and making visible previously invisible experiences, acts, voices and histories; two, nurturing change and transformation in the lives of the youth; and three, allow exploring the more-than-human, more-than-present, and less-than-conscious aspects in the lives of youths and children—aspects that traditional study methods might not readily access.
The studies in our review showed arts-based methods to be especially useful with children and young people, as they are age-appropriate and allow researchers and practitioners to better consider the needs of the target group. This became apparent in our review of studies that investigated sensitive issues such as young peer cultures, social inclusion, researcher- child interaction, child-teacher interaction, community relations and the communication and conflict resolution of young people. Furthermore, in our review, arts methods have been shown to be useful for supporting the communication of young people and encouraging listening to their needs, views, interests and experiences on different levels. Our study proposes that arts-based projects should also address issues of the structures, power hierarchies and inequalities at the intersections of race, class, age, gender, religion, sexuality and other sociocultural categories. A need exists to employ arts-based methodological approaches as responsible, sustainable modes of engagement, co-designed and implemented by a multi-agent team of artists, children, researchers and educators.

We hope this study will increase understanding of how researchers and specialists in education and psychology can use the arts for purposes other than beautification, in order, one, to increase the inclusiveness of young people; two, to encourage the participation of young people in the research process; three, to support young people forming ethically sustainable and healthy relations, articulating their views and experiences safely; and four, to transform existing representations of exclusion and inequality in the cultures of children. This study will also help with understanding the potential of the arts in promoting the wellbeing of young people, and the important goals their use can achieve in education contexts.