Fund Arts Education in Schools and Communities!
A nonprofit fundraiser supporting
Speaking Out CollectiveProvide Grades PreK-12 & BIPOC communities FREE critical literacy arts education empowering change
$125
raised by 2 people
$6,500 goal
6 days left
Update #6
Thanks to funding from the Minnesota Humanities Center, this fall we began our second installment of our BIPOC Truth Telling: African American Narratives. We now approach all our programming with this Truth Telling lens to ensure the truth of our diverse communities and world at large is accurately and beautifully depicted in story and school curriculum. We cannot begin to dismantle the "isms" of our society (e.g. racism, classism) until we honor and celebrate everyone within it. These new stories, curriculum, audio and video will be fully released fall of 2025. Please join our Truth Telling Community to learn more.
This past summer thanks to MSAB, we toured our early childhood mental health puppet shows to libraries, childcare centers and domestic violence shelters. In three NEW puppet musicals, we brought needed awareness and coping strategies to kids and families about ADHD, autism and anxiety. Fun-loving animals on Old MacDonald's farm provided ways to talk about feelings for both parent and child. We're still going strong this fall and thank our mental health lead and licensed psychologists for creating this impactful program.
Mental health. COVID. Inequity. Poverty. Climate Change. Inequality.
Our kids and communities are persevering in a world more complicated than ever.
How do youth cope when they think their voice doesn't matter?
How do our communities foster discussion for change?
Where do children find joy in such a complex world?
Storytelling and story-making with Speaking Out Collective lets young people and communities express themselves by questioning, reimagining and embodying narratives. We also infuse joy in learning, valuing the process over the end products of creative writing, theatre, art, music, movement and more. Programs result in improved attendance, subject retention, writing and comprehension skills.
Our goal of $6,500 will provide two 15-week critical literacy residencies to an under-resourced school who would not otherwise have an art education opportunity. Your gift will offset program costs for our Truth Telling curriculum that shines a light on the BIPOC histories missing from our collective knowledge.
Programming is needed now more than ever to celebrate diversity as our strength. Here's what teachers and principals are saying:
I have witnessed students write multiple pages of stories, who usually struggle to write a single sentence. Many of the stories, lessons and activities are tied into complex social issues that are presented in a developmentally appropriate way that students can think deeply and creatively to understand and react to those complex issues.
Why wasn’t any of this information in our textbooks? This is so important for our students. I just love that they are getting introduced to this BIPOC history at such a young age.
Children and community members continuously share their positive feedback.
We love it when you are here. We are having so much fun, it's like it isn't even school.
"I left both sessions with such joy and hope. Thank you for all that you do to bring life to classrooms, including ours!!
I thought this day would never come [to share our true history]. This work is the most important of my life.
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GIVE CHILDREN and COMMUNITIES A VOICE!