Being Reminded of Amazing Opportunity Creative Action Gives to Austin Artists

by Freddy Carnes, Artistic Associate

While at our teacher training this week at Scottish Rite Theater,I was reminded  why Creative Action continues to grow and attract such gifted young artists. Part of the training was to demonstrate to new teachers the power of using teacher-in-role (or acting out a character) to teach a lesson. The demonstration involved using “The Heroes/Los Heroes” show to spotlight how this technique worked. Mitch Bowman and Stephanie Chavez-Noell are the actors in the show and they performed an excerpt. It was great!

The teachers were totally engaged and played the part of Kindergarten students. The story, the humor and the scaffolding of questions built in to the show allow the actors to demonstrate to the children how to solve conflicts at school and at home.

I was so proud of Stephanie and Mitch for carrying on the tradition of “Heroes” just like other shows developed over the years to teach students about such issues as:

• Conflict resolution,
• World culture, and
• Bullying

I understand their commitment to making each show fresh and spontaneous. I was fortunate to perform in “The Heroes/Los Heroes” from 2006-2010. Mitch and Stephanie have added so many nice touches to the performance that it has become uniquely their own.

Once again I was reminded of the amazing opportunity that Creative Action has given to talented Austin artists to practice their craft. Thank you Creative Action!

About The Heroes/Los Heroes

• 97% of reporting teachers reported they had new tools to help them resolve classroom conflict
• 60% of teachers saw an increase in students engaging in a four-step conflict resolution process during any given week since receiving the Heroes program.
• 89% of participating teachers reported their students have been using vocabulary from the program to help them resolve conflict in the classroom

Teaching Artist Reflects on School Year, Wonderful Students

by Nadia Rangel, Teaching Artist at Langford Elementary

The students at Langford Elementary are wonderful! They discussed and participated in activities that focused on being accepting of one another, and building self-esteem. Within a couple of weeks they had created a classroom community that they were proud of.

One of our projects included discussing different personality characteristics associated with various animals, and choosing one we felt most represented ourselves to turn into a mask. We had everything from an energetic, talented, and loyal bear to a friendly and sensitive rabbit. From this exercise the students:

• Discovered similarities and differences they had with one another.
• Discussed how they would prefer to be part of a diverse community.
• Enjoyed being able to learn while making something fun that they could show off to their friends and family.

By the end of the year the students had worked on numerous activities. They were constantly making connections between their lives in school and at home with topics we had discussed in class. Early on in the year I discovered their love for writing. By the end of the semester they went home with a journal full of pages where they had been able to express their feelings on their home and school communities, as well as topics on bullying, and friendship.

The students at Langford Elementary are a wonderful group, and were a blast to work with. They found ways to inspire each other, and wound up becoming a very strong group of individuals.

Nadia Rangel is a Theatre Action Project (TAP) After-School K-2 teaching artist at Langford Elementary.

P.S. My favorite summer camp memory was getting to work on new projects and be creative.

Dealing With Middle School Bullies

Reblogged with permission from Youth Radio
Originally Posted by Youth Radio Editor on April 16, 2012 at 02:02pm

photo: trix0r/ BY-NC-SA

I’m Colton Gillum. I’m in the eighth grade.

I have blonde hair. I’m a blue eyed boy. I’m fairly tall. I’m 5’6”, maybe 5’5”. And I’ve been bullied.

Through middle school, I’ve learned you basically have to know who to mess with and who not to mess with. And to know that, you basically have to look around and see who is doing what. If someone is picking on a kid, you know ‘Oh, that guy’s a bully.’ Don’t mess with him.

What I’ve learned is how to maneuver between bullies. Every time someone bullies me in a hallway and they are coming after me, I just basically swivel through the crowd so they can’t see me anymore.

I was getting bullied one time in the seventh grade and this kid was running after me. So I went in a classroom and just hid there for like five minutes and the teacher gave me a pass to class.

I guess how I’m here today is the support from the program Changing Lives and my mother always telling me, “Just don’t go after him. He’s not important in your life. If he picks on you — not important. You just keep on going.”

I feel like people need to know what’s happening in middle schools. You get bullied and you don’t really tell anyone until the eighth grade. And you really can’t do anything about it. I want people to know that you have to tell someone what’s going on.

Make a friend before becoming a bully.

Colton Gillum, troupe member of the Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble. Photo by Theatre Action Project.

Join Theater Action Project for a conversation about bullying. Visit us at: http://theatreactionproject.org/Bully.html

Bullying: An On-Going Topic of Discussion

by Mary Alice Carnes, Community Relations Director

At the microphone is Dr. Rebecca Bigler, Professor of Psychology, University of Texas at the April 11th screening of the Bully documentary.

It can seem that the focus on bullying is new to some, but as we know it’s an issue that has been a discussion topic for as long as people have been, well, people. With the release of the new documentary Bully by Lee Hirsch, the topic is back in full force. Discussion groups are popping up everywhere the film plays. The Theatre Action Project screening of Bully two weeks ago drew a sold out crowd and the event afforded a great opportunity for parents, school administrators and TAP staff to talk about the film and what is being done locally about the problem of bullying. Last year Anderson Cooper at CNN did a series of panel discussions to talk about bullying, with the results of a CNN Anderson Cooper 360 study being conducted with sociologist Robert Faris.

Instead of the National Public Radio’s Fresh Air program on April 20, KUT FM Radio aired Teen Stories from Generation PRX. It was a full hour of teens sharing their stories about bullying from a teen perspective. To catch up with their stories, listen to their segments by visiting Teen Stories.

Even today as I drove to work at Theatre Action Project, NPR news ran a story on autism and bullying, Children with Autism are Often Targeted with Bullying. The story cites how children with autism can be special targets. Listen to this news piece to hear the journey of one autistic child’s experience.

What bullying stories are you hearing? We’d love to hear from you, especially if you want to join the conversation about bullying with Theatre Action Project and the community. To join the discussion, click here.

“Bully” Documentary: A Catalyst for Discussion of Bullying in Schools

The Weinstein Company and Theatre Action Project (TAP) will present a free screening of Bully, tomorrow. The new documentary by award-winning director Lee Hirsch brings human scale to this startling statistic, offering an intimate, unflinching look at how bullying has touched the lives of five kids and their families. This year more than 13 million American kids will be bullied.

The special screening of Bully will be Wednesday, April 11th at 7 p.m. at the Alamo Drafthouse on South Lamar followed by a panel discussion including bullying experts: Dr. Rebecca Bigler, Professor of Psychology, University of Texas, Mel Waxler, General Counsel with the Austin Independent School District, Theatre Action Project staff and youth participants who use the creative arts to help thousands of young people take a stance against bullying every year.

Karen LaShelle, Executive Director for Theatre Action Project spoke of TAP’s expectations for the Lee Hirsch film.

“Since 2001, we have used theatre and the creative arts to help young people be “courageous bystanders” who take a stance against bullying in their communities. Our hope is that through the release of Bully more people of all ages will join our movement towards standing up for those who are targets of bullying. Through our collective stance we can change our culture and prevent more young people from the painful cycles of bullying.”

SYNOPSIS:
Directed by Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker Lee Hirsch, Bully is a beautifully cinematic, character-driven documentary. At its heart are those with huge stakes in this issue whose stories each represent a different facet of America’s bullying crisis. Bully follows five kids and families over the course of a school year. Stories include two families who have lost children to suicide and a mother awaiting the fate of her 14-year-old daughter who has been incarcerated after bringing a gun on her school bus. With an intimate glimpse into homes, classrooms, cafeterias and principals’ offices, the film offers insight into the often cruel world of the lives of bullied children.

Running Time: 94 minute. MPPA Rating: Unrated
For more information about the film, visit: http://thebullyproject.com/indexflash.html.