WELCOME TO THE MY WAY PROGRAM
The Process:
In the My Way Program, youth take a break from the sit-down environment of the class room, and learn on the move, directly applying skills in theater to the challenges of life. Youth learn that acting is the act of communicating a message that causes someone to act, react, and/or take action. Young participants plan, organize, discuss, create, and run productions that address their issues; taking ownership of My Way which encourages them to take ownership of their choices in life.
Population Served:
Youth and young adults, 13-24 years old.
Goals:
a) Recruitment & Retention of Youth Participants – Stipends for participation, summer jobs, certificates of achievement, fun activities, a safe and caring environment, professional reproduction of songs, raps & poems, healthy meals, field trips, career training, computer training, state-of-the-art computers for sixty dollars, college training & scholarships, and parental involvement are sample incentives to attract, retain, and develop participants.
b) Through daily role-playing and followup discussions, debates and workshops, youth learn methods for making healthy choices and applying these skills to real life situations. Learning through physical activity is proven effective in helping young minds retain and recall information over long periods of time; sometimes life times. (Learning & Movement)
c) Exposure to Cultural Events as Alternative Entertainment – To help youth develop tastes for healthy entertainment the “My Way Crew” are taken away from the neighborhood streets to experience jazz concerts, nature walks, professional theater, etiquette workshops, museum tours, media production, and studio reproduction of their artistic creations.
d) Job-Seeking Skills and Performance Training – Alumni of Pin Points share their techniques, careers and success stories in a series of workshops. Instructors from the Department of Employment give youth job-search and employment training.
e) A College Mindset – Youth are assigned to an intense two-week college prep summer camp in Stamford, Connecticut conducted in conjunction with our partner, The Success Foundation.
The My Way Mantra:
You have two ends with a common link.
With one you sit. With one you think.
Success depends on which you use.
Heads, you win. Tails, you lose.
NOTE: PIN POINTS THEATRE’s after-school program follows the structure of the plan for Positive Youth Development plan put in place by the National Training Institute for Community Youth Work Academy for Educational Development, Wanda E. Fleming and Elaine Johnson, October 1996/Also, the Improving After-School Program Quality, by the William T. Grant Foundation, April 2007.
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