Art Helps Shape Life Skills

Theatre Action Project’s Program New Stages: Arts Empowerment for Juvenile Offenders is a program for teens in the Travis County Juvenile Probation Department residential program.

Its goals are to help youth improve perceived social support and develop the interpersonal communication and self-efficacy skills necessary to improve family relationships and social competencies, and decrease antisocial behavior which will lead to a reduction in gang involvement and recidivism.

With the guidance of a Theatre Action Project trained teaching artist, youth will use the knowledge gained from the Girls Circle and Boys Council curricula and their own life experiences, to create an original theatrical performance for their peers, families and the community.

Programs like New Stages are happening all over the country. In Montanta, “Karin Connelly, a tutor with Literacy Volunteers of Flathead County, goes to the Flathead County Juvenile Detention Center every week with cans of paint, egg cartons and brushes to work with three to five of the young inmates.”

Christine Hensleigh, director of Literacy Volunteers says everyone can teach. If you like to read the newspaper you can teach about world events! If you like to paint you can teach others how to paint, and if you’ve been a peer leader or parent, you can teach life-skills.

Changing Lives this year

The Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble’s rehearsals start up next week! Haven’t heard of this group? Want to learn more? Check out their blog today!

Check out a video of their recent work here!

Wish Upon a Star

TAP Programing has begun! Teaching Artists were in office today looking through supplies and preparing lesson plans because TAP After School is back! We are excited to be getting the year started but there are still many items we are looking for. If you are interested in donating please see TAP’s wish list below. Thank You!

* Arts and crafts supplies. We can ALWAYS use pom poms, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, hot glue sticks, regular glue sticks, and the like. Giant (like, gallon-sized) containers of Elmer’s glue let us reuse our old bottles by refilling them.

* Paper: We can ALWAYS use butcher paper. We also go through poster board, those giant post-it notes, and construction paper at a pretty good pace. And donations of fancy paper (scrapbook paper, paper that’s printed to look like water or leaves or bricks or whatever, etc) are always cool.

* Fabric, Big rolls are great, but we could also use smaller bits of fancy stuff for costumes

* Blank CDs and DVDs

* Electronics: digital projector, cameras, iPod/ CD players.

* Office Supplies: 2 inch binders, 8 1/2 X 11 white copy paper, Staples, Staplers, Scissors, Paper Clips, Binder Clips, Folders, Note Pads, Color Ink for Xerox Phaser Printers 8560 and 8550, Working Computers, Post-its, Pens, Pencils.

* Putomayo Kids CDs

* Library books: Wish list on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/wishlist/2KKZDTFI3GQEB

TAP after school and a volunteer call

Hi TAPsters,

Elizabeth, the Programs VISTA here. I’m crashing the TAP blog (well, not really– I was invited to write this post, but crashing sounds way more exciting) to let you know that the programming office is gearing up for the 2010-2011 school year and we’re SO EXCITED we can hardly wait for next week, when our fall after school classes start up. This week, we’ve been finalizing school contracts, tweaking curricula, dusting off library books and craft supplies, and, best of all, holding training for all of our teaching artists (TAs).

TAs are at the heart of what we do at TAP after school. Not only do they do the actual work of teaching our after school classes, but their energy and creativity are vital to the culture of our office. This week’s training has revealed that we have succeeded in hiring yet another incredibly talented group of TAs: they’re actors, playwrights, visual artists, musicians, dancers, and filmmakers, and their enthusiasm has been positively infectious.

Are you jealous that my job entails hanging out with such excellent people? Do you have afternoon availability? Then consider becoming an after school volunteer! Our after school volunteers spend one afternoon a week (usually from 3:00ish- 6:00ish) working closely with a TA in a classroom in or around Austin. Volunteers model student behavior, act as extra eyes and hands in the classroom, and (depending on the class) help out with special projects like building sets for plays or filming a video. We are especially in need of volunteers in Del Valle and Manor, but we’d love to have you regardless of where you’d like to be placed. Absolutely no theatre or arts skills required.

Contact me, Elizabeth, at elizabeth@theatreactionproject.org or 442.8773 if you’d like to hear more about volunteering with TAP after school.

TAP and Tower PR working together to promote Social Change

TAP Tower PR Rep Rachel Frey is spotlighted in the Tower PR Blog. Check it out! We will be working closely with Rachel and our other Tower Rep Laura Fidelman in promoting our events throughout the year. TAP is excited to continue this partnership and is looking forward to the year ahead!