Arts in Education Youth Workshop Series

TOGETHER! Club House program + Brave Practice

Thanks to funding from an ArtsWA 2023 Arts in Education grant, Window Seat Media and TOGETHER! hosted a series of 5 improv theatre workshops for middle schoolers before school through their Clubhouse Program. Each session was a little different - we played games, got to know one another better, and worked creatively and collaboratively all before 9 am! Learn more about TOGETHER! Club House before and after school program.

Students became familiar with techniques in personal storytelling and Playback Theatre, practicing empathy, creative expression, artistic collaboration, and exploring their own gifts and potential. Playback is an original form of interactive and improvisational theatre where folx share true stories from their lives and others enact them on the spot using music, dialogue, metaphor, and movement. This opportunity helps build social-emotional learning skills in areas such as self-awareness, social awareness, and social engagement. Youth should get ready to share true stories, listen deeply to others, lean into community wisdom, and take brave risks.

‍"Watching the students engage in the activities during our time with Brave Practice was a lot of fun; our students stepped into the role, let their guard down, and had fun. I was impressed to see many of them move out of their comfort zone and participate. While students participated, I noticed they engaged harmoniously (balanced), and as a team, this will stick with me the most as it made my heart happy to witness. The last two days were so much fun! Students had the opportunity to listen (truly listen) and hear stories from their peers and then act the stories out. Students also told their stories to Meg, Laurie, Tim, and Ashlen, who then acted out the student's stories'. Their faces lit up when they watched others (peers and Window Seat Media) act out THEIR story. This activity is where I saw the students show what they had learned during their time with Brave Practice. They learned to be vulnerable, to take risks, to be BRAVE, to listen and hear their peers and see the value in their story, and to see life from the perspective of others." -TOGETHER! Site Coordinator

"I am reminded of all the activities the students did that challenged them to understand the impact the stories we hold have. How our stories make us feel, how they shape us, and how they are unique and only our own. One example, students were partnered up and asked to tell a story to their partner. The partner then was asked to share the feelings they felt the storyteller experienced. This taught them empathy. We enjoyed this partnership so much and hope to do it again in the future!" -TOGETHER! Site Coordinator

Thank You to ArtsWA

This program is supported, in part, by a grant from the Washington State Arts Commission (now also known as “ArtsWA”) and the National Endowment for the Arts.