Our students at Bret Harte Preparatory Middle School are hard at work preparing for their performance this weekend! Join us Saturday, March 21st, 6pm at Dymally High School for two original student plays that explore the question, “How do we build a healthy community?” Artist Leader Jennifer Browne shares her experience working on this project:
In my many years as an Artist Leader with Inside Out Community Arts, I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of different environments with youth facing all kinds of challenges – physical, emotional, and environmental. Bret Harte Preparatory Middle School presented a whole new set of opportunities and challenges.
On our first day of recruitment, we set up a table in the quad to tell the students about our program. During that 30-minute lunch break, there were three fistfights. Each time, dozens of students raced to the fray, cheering the fighters on. It was clear to us that the culture at this school was in crisis. A small group of students hung out around our table. They wanted to know what we had to offer and clearly wanted to be part of something different. Given the amount of stress and chaos in their day-to-day environment, we knew that our programming could present an excellent chance for our students to express themselves and build community in a safe, structured, creative environment.
During our first two months at Bret Harte we dealt with a revolving door of students. They showed up one day, disappeared for a few days and then would return – or not. Every week our amazing team of Artist Leaders, Artist Leader Interns, and two LAPD officers came together to lead a two-hour structured workshop for a challenging group of students – many of whom had short attention spans and a mistrust of adults (and in some cases, each other).
At the midway point in our session, we began the process of play creation. Two groups of students brainstormed to identify what issue they wanted to create a play around. One group chose to explore themes of bullying and animal abuse. The other group chose to look at the positive and negative impacts of the entertainment industry. At this point in our process, ownership shifts to the students – it is on them to create their story and their characters. It was also at this point that a core group of students began to fully commit to the program.
A few weeks later, we took our students on a picnic to Kenneth Hahn Park and then to see a professional play – Culture Clash’s “Chavez Ravine.” While we were at the park, I saw a shift. Outside their usual environment, the kids respected the boundaries we laid out, participated fully in structured activities, and in their free time, explored nature, ate lunch and played together, as a community.
Camille Ameen, the co-founder of IOCA, taught me something that has helped carry me through difficult moments at Bret Harte. At many of our teaching sites, the majority of the students go through a clear and powerful transformation as a result of their participation in our process. At other sites, the transformation is not as obvious. In those cases, we must look for the small changes – a student who finally projects their voice on stage, a student who fully participates for one day, a child showing empathy towards another individual.
In the past few weeks I have observed wonderful changes in our community. All of the students make eye contact now – a sign of respect and safety. The students are exercising positive peer pressure with each other. Our attendance is consistent, and the students arrive ready to participate fully. The students have formed their IOCA community. They treat each other with care and respect; they are opening up to us – sharing their stories. Some of their family members are doing so as well during our weekly phone calls home.
Next weekend the students have their final performance. Three weeks ago all of us – Artist Leaders and students – had serious doubts. Last weekend we had a painting/rehearsal day where the students presented some of their work to each other. They did it with pride and supported each other through the process. We left confident that we will be ready to take the stage this Saturday!
P.S.ARTS’ Inside Out Community Arts program at Bret Harte Preparatory Middle School provides core support to middle school students while giving them the tools, confidence, and inspiration to make a positive difference in their south LA community through the arts.
This pilot program, in partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department Southeast Division and funded by The California Endowment, aims to increase awareness to key leaders in the police department and juvenile justice system about innovative diversion programs that instill community involvement through positive, productive, and creative alternatives for youth.
