~Dramatic Empowerment~

Throughout my own experience in public school, I have found that lately our education system has been largely ignorant of a child's need to incorporate kinesthetic learning into their daily educational experience. Theater, especially when offered as an optional after-school program, not only filters out those who are uninterested or forced into the "class," but it also creates a hub for those genuinely interested in the art. Additionally, it provides a space to meet and enjoy theatre without compromising space in the students' school schedules.

Theatre gives children individual platforms to voice and be open about their opinions as they become more educated and diversified in a safe space, which also boosts their confidence. Using the arts to educate students about current issues in a monitored area will also allow students to learn first-hand about the importance of understanding others' opinions. This additionally has the potential to lower the amount of bullying.

Furthermore, not only does it allow students to focus in on their own opinions and allow them to build their own moral foundations, but it also grants them the opportunity to engage with other students and the opinions of those around them. These integral, initial ties with others connect students to their outside community. When in tangent with a heightened platform, students feel more comfortable expressing themselves, understanding their roles, and growing an understanding of how to overcome their differences between fellow citizens.  

Kids Are Dramatic literally gives children a stage upon which they may perform while incorporating the students directly into the lessons. This provides students with the confidence they need to speak up for what they know is right. Over the course of just a few months, I have watched my students evolve from being shy and second-guessing themselves to defending their friends against teasing or bullying in front of an entire classroom. Though these students still have long journeys in front of them, the effect that KAD has made on them has most certainly been impactful.

As proven in some studies on Youth Empowerment, students tend to benefit when in smaller, more localized programs.  Kids Are Dramatic is a citywide, if not district-wide, program and aims to remain as involved with the direct community as possible. This enables the scale of the program to focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the Colorado Springs area, something that is relatable to each and every one of its youth. By showing them how to identify problems, make changes, and engage with their peers and community members, they can then learn how to bring these skills wherever they may go in their lives.

Studies have also shown that reflections conducted by the students in integers throughout the program tend to drive home the main points of the lessons. Kids Are Dramatic has already established a journaling routine, which invites students to reflect upon what they have learned during each and every lesson and/or rehearsal session by logging their progress throughout the program. Consequentially, students are actively making a commitment to the change they are willing to see in themselves throughout the meetings. Another discovery supported by research is that groups, which begin with a greater amount of diversity, have the greatest amount of measurable progress per student. One of the biggest goals for Kids are Dramatic is to expand the program from Horace Mann Middle School into the greater Colorado Springs area, diversifying the demographics involved.

Finally, one of the most important things to remember is that the program itself is an experiment of sorts, which also needs to focus on progressing and bettering itself for the students in it. Through this blog post, frequent meetings within the employees, and research conducted from leaders to students, Kids are Dramatic is keeping constant track of its own journey and determining what is most beneficial for the students and the program.

~New Year's Resolutions~

I don't like New Year's resolutions. In essence, the idea sets individuals up to form obligations that they never fulfill. That's why at the beginning of this year, I personally vowed to make no resolutions, because I'd rather continue my normal routine. However, after reading Don Watkins' (Ayn Rand Institute Fellow) recent post in regards to New Year's, I began to reconsider. He leads us to yet another author, Alex Epstein, to support the creation of New Year's resolutions:

"Every New Year’s Eve millions of Americans make New Year’s resolutions. Whether the resolution is to get out of debt, to spend more time with loved ones, or to quit smoking, these resolutions have one thing in common: they are goals to make our lives better.

 Unfortunately, this ritual commitment to self-improvement is widely viewed as something of a joke–in part because New Year’s resolutions go so notoriously unmet. After years of watching others–or themselves–excitedly commit to a new goal, only to abandon the quest by March, many come to conclude that New Year’s resolutions are an exercise in futility that should not be taken seriously. “The silly season is upon us,” writes a columnist for the Washington Post, “when people feel compelled to remake themselves with new year’s resolutions.”

But such a cynical attitude is false and self-destructive. Making New Year’s resolutions does not have to be futile–and to make them is not silly; done seriously, it is an act of profound moral significance that embodies the essence of a life well-lived."

~Alex Epstein (Founder of the Center for Industrial Progress)

I couldn't have received a better wake up call. Why should I be bitter about New Year's resolutions when the philosophy behind them is one that I full-heartedly support? The idea of making improvements to my life often calls for adjusting my stubborn perceptions; though New Year's shouldn't be the sole time during the year that these adjustments occur, the holiday remains a great reminder for individual people to continually better the life they are living.

As for Kids Are Dramatic, we too have a set of goals that we believe will better our organization. This January marks Kids Are Dramatic's first anniversary of the pilot program it began at a Boys and Girls Club in Colorado Springs. Though Kids Are Dramatic's official start date at Mann Middle School was in March of 2012, we completed a successful 12-week program at this nonprofit organization and had a significant impact on its attending students and on the staff's programming expectations. In 2013, we expect to magnify that impact, expand beyond everyone's expectation (hopefully even beyond our own), and capitalize on the opportunities we are given to connect more with the community around us. As our blog followers, we owe you nothing less than an organizational action plan for the coming year. Thus, here are Kids Are Dramatic's 2013 New Year's resolutions:

1.) Kids Are Dramatic will establish an internship program for all future employees.

We are so excited to announce the creation of one of the only internship opportunities at Colorado College by a student-run organization. Kids Are Dramatic will offer a competitive internship to a maximum of nine Colorado College students. Internship positions are categorized into instruction interns, policy interns, and communication interns. Because Kids Are Dramatic is a strongly comprehensive organization, in terms of its involvement with education, all interns can choose from three different areas in which to specialize. More details on this internship will be revealed at a later date, but we hope to make this branch of our program significantly beneficial for not only our interns but also the students whom we are serving.

2.) Our instruction sites will increase from one to three.

Currently Kids Are Dramatic only has one site in which it operates. As you know, this program is particularly special to us because of the substantial growth we have seen at the middle school. However, Kids Are Dramatic is steadily increasing its capabilities, and it is actively looking to expand to other locations. There are two potential sites that have already been in contact with Kids Are Dramatic to establish a program next semester.

Westside Community Center reached out to Kids Are Dramatic last semester to set up a weekly class schedule for students in its neighborhood. Since December, Westside Community Center has been advertising for our theatre class, and we hope to reach at least another 15 - 20 students in this region of Colorado Springs.

Imagination Celebration is also an organization in which Kids Are Dramatic is proud to have a partnership. Though details for expanding to this organization are less finite, we will continue to push for a strong relationship with this active proponent of arts education.

3.) We will establish a summer camp program.

As previously mentioned, Kids Are Dramatic hopes to have a partnership with the Westside Community Center. After speaking with the director of programming at this nonprofit organization, I was inspired to use their facilities to host a summer mini-camp for all active and new Kids Are Dramatic students. This adds yet another branch to Kids Are Dramatic, keeping it diverse in its opportunities and diffusing the influence of theatre arts education within the Colorado Springs community.

4.) Kids Are Dramatic will apply for eight grants this year to improve the sustainability of its program.

Every organization (especially the nonprofits of the world) must be aggressive in seeking out new funds. As my own supervisor at the college has taught me, everyone has an idea of how to change the world. Everyone can "help people" whom they deem to be in need. However, we don't live in a utopia, and the world does not hold unlimited resources (otherwise the study of economics would not exist, and I would be out of a major). Thus just as every other business, organization, and program, we must prove ourselves. As a part of this resolution, Kids Are Dramatic will submit an application to the "The Big Idea" contest at Colorado College. Jill Tiefenthaler, the college president, hopes to nurture business innovation by providing a $50,000 reward to the group that the college deems best to create a business. Our plan to win this award will be detailed in a later blog post. Most grants want an academic perspective of an organization and their mission, so we hope that you will also see this blog expand as a result. This blog serves to represent the academic perspective to warrant arts education as the most powerful intervention tool.

 5.) The number of employees at Kids Are Dramatic will increase from two to six.

As apart of our plan for expansion, Kids Are Dramatic is seeking out dedicated people to become a part of our organization. We take utmost pride in the quality of our educators; most of these employees will be graduates of the internship program, or they will have demonstrated superior qualifications. Consistency, professionalism, and passion are the three key values that Kids Are Dramatic looks for in its employees, so the challenge of finding that type of dedication is difficult amongst a college population. However, we are optimistic about the internship program and other connections we intend to form along the way.

 Promises should always be taken very seriously. When Kids Are Dramatic starts back up again in just a couple weeks, these resolutions will be posted in the headquarters of our organization. With this organization and with a zealous community, we have no doubt that we can fulfill these resolutions to improve the lives of students in Colorado Springs.

 Now that you know where we are headed, we would like to hear what you have to say. This program started and began through community organizing, and we desire to listen to the voices of our community readers. Comment below!