At the Teen Resource Project, students come together to create art, have fun, work hard, relax, be challenged, and grow. They also learn to create safe and respectful spaces, develop deep personal connections, and nurture and support each other.
The Teen Resource Project is based at Morgan Elementary School in Holyoke and is a partnership between the school, The Performance Project, and The Care Center. Participants practice writing through journaling exercises, and take part in dance, theater, drumming, martial arts, visual arts, storytelling, and poetry in workshops led by the mentors and artists. Discussion sessions provide students opportunities to practice listening and communication skills. Daily homework help and healthy snacks are part of the program as well.
The caring and healthy relationships high school mentors build with the younger children is invaluable. To lay the building blocks for a successful mentoring network, high school mentors receive ongoing intensive trainings. The curriculum is grounded in the principles of culturally-responsive teaching, best practices of youth development, and attention to multiple learning styles. Trainings include:
- Communication and conflict resolution: Learning to listen, paraphrase, reflect back, use caring language, and practice empathic communication
- Examining the socialization of boys and men: Unpacking beliefs about boys and men, learning about masculinity, hyper-masculinity, and positive masculinity, discovering ideas of gender equity, learning how to break cycles of violence
- Leadership styles and group facilitation: Discussing leadership styles and thinking about what is most effective in different situations
Family and community celebrations take place throughout the year. These festive events invite the community-at-large to experience the dance, theater, writing, and visual art that participants have created and young people are key planners and performers in these celebrations.
