Every child should have the chance to succeed.
We’re on a mission to make sure all children in Detroit have the opportunity to succeed. We’re using improv training to transform how Detroit’s young people view their potential at school and in life.
Most of us can point to people or experiences that helped direct our path from childhood, through school, and on to our careers and adult lives. Sure, we stumbled. But there was an enormous safety net to keep us moving forward.
Now imagine how different life would be without that. Maybe you don’t have access to a good education because of where you live. Or school takes second place to work because you need to help support your family. And maybe there isn’t someone in your life who can keep you engaged and on track.
Many children in Detroit’s neighborhoods face some or all of these challenges even though there’s a renaissance happening in the City’s center.
The recent statistics are alarming. Almost half of all school-age children in Detroit live in poverty. Only 1 in 10 third graders are proficient readers at a critical time when they go from learning to read, to reading to learn. Sixty percent are chronically absent from school and 1 in 4 won’t graduate.
Unless something changes there is an enormous risk that in spite of all their potential many of these kids will grow up and continue to live in poverty.
Learning to improvise has the power to change that story.
Through our improv programs, young people are learning to collaborate and listen to other perspectives. They are building crucial literacy and communication skills to share their ideas. Teachers tell us these young improvisers attend school more regularly, engage in class, and make more academic progress. The students say improv class is where they can create, experiment freely, and truly belong.
The best part is these lessons and your impact endure long after improv class ends. Our work is possible because of support from people like you. You can donate here.