SCENE CHANGE

SETTING THE STAGE FOR HIGH SCHOOL SUCCESS

Rising Youth Theatre’s Scene Change program uses theatre and mentorship to support middle school students in building the skills they need to thrive in high school and beyond, focusing on strong relationships, social emotional learning, and a sense of self.

Specific program activities include storytelling, improvisation, writing, and more - all built around developing a strong sense of self alongside a strong sense of community. The program facilitators will be teams of adult and youth (ages 16-22) artists, meaning that some of the mentors young people work with will be closer to their own age and closer to the complex experiences they are going through. We also work to ensure that the demographics of our facilitators reflect the demographics of the school

Bring Scene Change to your school

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About the program

Why this program matters

A rising 8th grader in 2023 spent at least part of their fourth and fifth grade years attending online school, navigating the academic disruptions, social uncertainty and fear and grief of the Covid-19 pandemic. Middle school students right now need even more support in navigating this already complicated transition. Students are in desperate need of connection and theatre is a powerful tool for understanding one another, building community, and finding ways to support our peers. And significantly, the mentorship structure Rising Youth Theatre will bring to the school models a path for connecting and supporting one another. These are the tools that ultimately will lead to success in 9th grade and throughout these young people’s lives.

Data

While this is a relatively new program for Rising Youth Theatre, the techniques we will bring to middle school students are well established, and will draw on evidence-based practices for developing empathy and social emotional growth. Multiple studies, including a 2021 study published in the Journal of Social Psychology, find that participating in theatre improves empathy, changes attitudes and leads to pro-social behavior. Previous Rising Youth Theatre programs have demonstrated that students participating in arts based learning programs with Rising Youth over the course of a year exhibited increased empathy, more self-confidence, and better conflict resolution skills than before participating in the program.

Current School Partners

Currently this program is being implemented at MC Cash Elementary in the Laveen School District. Reach out to find out how you can be another school partner this year!

Program Support

The program was originally funded by the New York Life Foundation's Aim High Program