Speaking Out Collective

Our residency program served 0ver 4,000 children and 1,500 adults in 50 classrooms. We worked in schools, domestic violence shelters, child care centers, and served primarily urban and impoverished communities. We supported PreK-6 to high school, and families who would otherwise not have access to the arts or literacy programs. We developed a new curriculum that brought historical and factual community history to light that would have otherwise been lost with aging elders. Our 16-week residencies continue to be heralded by teachers and parents alike, improving writing and comprehension skills as well as confidence on stage and off. Children continue to showcase candor, insight and creativity. The stories participants imagine, write and develop are imaginative and preserve the meaning of togetherness, illustrating the power of ones voice. An arts-based literacy education is imperative in a childs development. Our greatest challenge continues to be securing funding to meet the demand, especially as education, arts and community funding cuts continue.

Our Old MacDonald mental health puppet tours continued to help PreK-2 and their families talk about mental health and neurodiversity disorders. We served 1,118 children and 367 adults. Student struggles in the classroom, at home and in their community are not unique to one demographic. Most communities have encountered and documented these experiences000. We cannot simply ignore the mental health crisis that has only grown. Our puppet shows, based on consultations with licensed psychologists and statistically increasing disorders, help children understand that you are okay just as you are and can talk about whatever youre feeling. Across the state, community centers, schools and childcare centers experienced the positive and lasting impact of this programming.