TEENS UNITED
PERFORMING ARTS PROJECT
On August 29, 2006 The Philadelphia Inquirer reported:
According to CDC data, homicide is the second-leading cause of death among people 10 to 24.
The homicide rate among Philadelphia youth is five times higher than the national average.
In its most recent report The Children's Defense Fund* reported:
Gun violence has already taken over 95,000 young lives in America since 1979.
In one year 2,827 children and teens were killed by gunfire.
The statistics are frightening... One young person dies every 3 hours from fatal gunshot wounds in the United States.* Over 4 times as many children and teens suffer the trauma of non-fatal wounds.* The total youth gunshot fatalities in 2003 was 2,827 -- more than double the total U.S. military fatalities in the Iraq war between March 2003 and January 2005.* Our children live in a war zone.
- Maurice Henderson sitting with the teens. In addition to directing their artistic skills, Henderson also engages the students in workshops that teach them conflict resolution, communication skills, personal reflection and esteem-building.
Started in 2004/05, our MasterPeace Teens United Performing Arts Project provides alternatives to violence through theater and the arts, developing a creative force for teens to address the impact of violence in their communities. Our primary community partner in this project is Mothers In Charge (a non-profit started by mothers who have lost children to gun-violence). Now in our third year, teens are working with educator and acclaimed director, Dr. Maurice B. Henderson, as well as musicians and theater professionals, as they use the arts to heal their experiences of violence and loss and to communicate their ideas and visions for long-lasting change in Philadelphia.
- Teens write original poetry, rap, lyrics and dramatic skits that reflect on the impact of violence in their lives, alternatives to violence and their ideas for ending violence in our communities.
Initially involving over 25 youth participants from 5 city high schools, our hope is to continue to expand this program, offering more youth from more schools and neighborhoods access to this important project. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced a $850,000 award to fund a research project to reduce youth violence in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Inquirer, August 29, 2006). Philadelphians are clearly working to address the problem of violence and Teens United believes that creative solutions come from empowering youth with voice and action. Using the arts as a tool for empowerment, we have seen positive results through participation and feedback and we expect those results to multiply as our program grows in size and impact.
- At the completion of the fall 2006 semester, teens performed original drama, music and dance for more than fifty friends, family and teachers. Pictured here are two students in an original skit.
In our first two years, Teens United's accomplishments include:
- Annual productions developed by the teens including a full-scale original theater production and a performance of poetry and music performed for more than 300 youth.
- Thanks to a special partnership with the SCRIBE Video Center, Teens United shared their creative inspirations through a video production filmed, edited, and produced by the teens themselves.
- Teens United collaborated with different organizations and events to increase youth awareness of violence-prevention efforts in their communities and also to increase their visibility in their communities. Partnerships included Mothers in Charge, the Pennsylvania Million Mom March, and a variety of faith communities.
Watch a video clip from a rehearsal of Teens United Performing Arts Project with teens practicing an original song that previous Teens United students produced and recorded and that continues to live on and inspire as new students make it their own: Following are the lyrics to the song (which has become the anthem for Mothers In Charge, our collaborating organization for Teens United):
Take a Stand
How can we make a change
In the way we live today
How can we stop the violence
occurring more each day
Our children are losing their lives
We must stand up and fight
Let’s give them a chance to make it
By teaching them to live right
We all gotta stand up and fight
Before we lose more lives
We’re losing two kids at a time
One to death and one to crime
We gotta all just take a stand
And lend a helping hand
We’re teens united with Mothers in Charge
And we’re doing what we can
How can we help them reach
All their opportunities
How can we teach them to be
the best that they can be
We gotta stop closing our eyes
Pretending things are fine
Let’s all face the truth to what they do
Or next time it may be you
Too many of our kids are dying out in the streets
It’s time we stand together
For some peace and unity
And it starts with you and me
Read the report from the Children's Defense Fund:
*Children’s Defense Fund’s Protect Children Not Guns Report
Teens United in the news:
Teens United Performing Arts Project share their ten-week process in an open rehearsal illustrating the impact that violence has had on them. Read more about what these teen artists shared (Dec 2006 newsletter).
Copyright 2007 Arts & Spirituality Center. All rights reserved.