A San Diego Principal Takes on Trauma (6 Minutes - Health Happens Here)

Here's a San Diego event that addresses "opportunity youth" - a strength-based term for disadvantaged youth. Upcoming Opportunity Summit sponsored by San Diego Workforce Partnership will include performing arts and visual arts.  

 #1 Performing arts: Urban Beats, MovementBE and The Blue Heart Foundation are on deck to share performances that awaken the senses and personify evidence-based strategies that use the arts to create opportunity for young people. 

#6 Visual arts: The AjA Project and A Reason to Survive (ARTS) will be showing off their talent through event photography, professional headshots for youth, by youth and an all-day art exhibition. Don’t forget to bring cash to support young artists!  

From: Andy Hall, San Diego Workforce Partnership AndyHall@workforce.org

Subject: Opportunity Summit | It's the final countdown!

Vincent J. Felitti, MD posted:

Any experience using Theatre to help the kids speak anonymously, but as part of a group, about their lives?  For instance, "Hey, have you guys ever written a play?  No, well we're going to write a play today about a kid growing up in a house where someone is getting hurt.  What should the kid's name be?  And who else lives in the house?  What are their names?  And what are they like?" Etc.  

"Hey, I'm not speaking about ME.  We're writing a Play.  This is make-believe! "   

Dr. Felitti, Here is one organization that uses theater to speak about challenging topics.  http://www.playwrightsproject.org/about/

The Mission of Playwrights Project is to advance literacy, creativity, and communication by empowering individuals to voice their stories through playwriting programs and theatre productions.

Playwrights Project is a nonprofit organization devoted to arts education. Founded in 1985, Playwrights Project reaches up to 10,000 people annually through programs proven to:

• Teach the power of spoken and written language
• Nurture promising young writers
• Develop theatre artists and audiences
• Champion thoughtful communication
• Encourage creative problem solving
• Inspire lifelong learning
• Cultivate empathy
• Honor wisdom and past experience
• Deepen a sense of belonging
• Strengthen connections between and within communities

Playwrights Project accomplishes these goals by providing playwriting workshops in schools and underserved communities, producing community readings, conducting the annual California Young Playwrights Contest for writers under the age of 19, and professionally producing winning scripts in its annual festival of Plays by Young Writers.

Collaboration

Playwrights Project collaborates with many organizations in San Diego County. We have created major programs with Anaheim Union High School District; Escondido Union High School District; San Diego City Library; San Diego Unified School District; San Diego County Department of Health and Human Services; San Diego Youth and Community Services; and Sweetwater Union School District.

Any experience using Theatre to help the kids speak anonymously, but as part of a group, about their lives?  For instance, "Hey, have you guys ever written a play?  No, well we're going to write a play today about a kid growing up in a house where someone is getting hurt.  What should the kid's name be?  And who else lives in the house?  What are their names?  And what are they like?" Etc.  

"Hey, I'm not speaking about ME.  We're writing a Play.  This is make-believe! "