By Jaime Reichner, Inside Out Community Arts artist leader
Last month, as the fall sessions began at Dana, Will Rogers, and Prairie Vista Middle Schools, Inside Out Community Arts marked an exciting milestone: our first official session as a program of P.S. ARTS. Our workshops began in mid-September, and we are now entering the second half of our 20-week program, where students devise and write original plays based on issues of importance to them, their schools, communities, and the world at large.
A couple of weeks ago, all three schools held Family Workshops where students, parents, grandparents, siblings, and friends participated in an afternoon of theater games, providing families a unique opportunity to experience what we do at Inside Out alongside their children.
Every workshop in our curriculum is special and has been designed thoughtfully to target specific theater arts and conflict resolution skills. For me, the Family Workshop is a highlight! (So much so, that in 2011, I chose to write about it for my personal statement on my graduate school application.)
We begin our Family Workshops as we do our regular program sessions: in a circle. After a brief introduction by Artist Leaders and staff, we take the participants and their families through one of the lessons of our curriculum. At Dana Middle School, we chose the “Heroes” workshop. Participants were asked to identify positive qualities in themselves, dream up a superhero alter ego embodying that power and develop a concrete way in which they can use that attribute to make a positive change at home and in their community.
There is something tremendously brave about standing up in a circle of unfamiliar faces and sharing a part of yourself. We ask this of our students on the first day, and it’s incredible to see them model for their families the courage they’ve cultivated over a few short weeks. Our “Inside Out Lowdown” is always visibly displayed: Respect, Courage, and Accountability. The students agree to these guidelines on day one. At the Family Workshop, we see students encourage their sometimes-shy parents to
participate and share in the joy of watching families interact and play together. It’s remarkable to witness parents deepen their understanding of what their son or daughter (or brother or sister) has been learning.
At Dana, Will Rogers, and Prairie Vista, we had almost 80 participants that included parents, siblings (from two years old to teenagers), cousins, and friends. Students will often describe Inside Out as so much more than just an after-school program. “Inside Out is like a family,” I hear students say each year. Having been a part of the Inside Out Community for the last seven years, I wholeheartedly agree.
**Mark your calendars now for Inside Out Community Arts’ fall performances on November 22nd at the Aratani/Japan America Theatre from 7pm-9pm.
