“Valley Playwright Mentoring is a six month mentoring program for teens currently available afterschool in Greenfield and Holyoke where participants create performances and podcasts inspired by stories from their lives. Podcasts and videos from previous years are available for listening on the VPM webpage and the subjects range from opioid abuse cyber-bullying to friendship to free speech to digital addiction to questions about identity.
Our goals for the program include participants:
– developing their capacity for leadership, communication and creativity
– experiencing the support of a small group of peers and adults over an extended period of time
– discovering the ways in which challenging aspects of their personal experiences can be transformed by reimagining them as theatre and sharing them for the benefit of other teens living similar stories/
– experiencing the support of a small group of peers and adults over an extended period of time
– discovering the ways in which challenging aspects of their personal experiences can be transformed by reimagining them as theatre and sharing them for the benefit of other teens living similar stories/
We were able to leverage support from the Markham-Nathan Fund over the last few years to receive a transformational four year x $22,000/year YouthReach Grant from the Mass Cultural Council. This funding, combined with Markham-Nathan’s continued support and other grants has allowed us to continue growing our impact. Last year, we were also able to offer afterschool programming for ages 8 – 12 in Greenfield and Shelburne Falls where children create their own play (www.ptco.org/classes) as well as an in-school version of VPM through Mohawk Trail Regional School District’s Supported Classroom program.” Jonathan. Learn more https://ptco.org/education/vpm/
