After-School Programs
Research supports the correlation between engagement in after-school programming and violence prevention and increased achievement among youth. According to After-School Programs: Keeping Children Safe and Smart (June 2000), a joint report from the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Justice, after-school program participation leads to increased safety, reduced risk-taking, and improved learning.
In addition to in-school student workshops, ENACT provides after-school and Saturday student programs. ENACT's after-school workshops apply the ENACT method, using drama therapy techniques to build social and emotional skills, and usually culminate in a final performance or project. For example, ENACT after-school students have written plays and worked toward literacy goals based on New York State English Language Standards. Under-credited students have also had the opportunity to make up credits on a case-by-case basis by participating in ENACT after-school programs.
Through year-long school partnerships funded by NYC Council's Dropout Prevention and Intervention Initiative and United Way's Community Achievement Project in the Schools (CAPS), ENACT after-school students prepared and rehearsed performances based on President Barack Obama's proclamation that "Dropping out is no longer an option." Culminating in a year-end production - Show UP! 2009 - students from M.S. 399, M.S. 8, Legacy School for Integrated Studies, and Repertory Company High School celebrated the reasons why they showed up for school.
In the past, ENACT has partnered with United Way's Focus Forward Initiative, through which ENACT teaching artists provided youth development services culminating in an end-of-the-year performance. ENACT after-school programs have also been made possible through federally-funded initiatives such as 21st Century Community Learning Centers and Extended School Day/School Violence Prevention.
For more information on ENACT after-school programs, please contact Leslie Wright, Workshop Manager, at (212) 741-6591 ext. 214 or leslie.wright@enact.org.
