"If we are to achieve real peace in this world and wage a true war against war, we must begin with the children." - Mahatama Gandhi
Guggenheim Entertainment has been widely praised for providing an effective way to give voice to young people. Since 1981, Guggenheim Entertainment has been a leader in innovative educational programs which combine issue exploration, multi-cultural awareness, and conflict resolution through programs in the performing arts.
We believe that a problem can not be solved until it is brought out into the open. Therefore, we act as a conduit for further exploration and discussion while promoting self-esteem, conflict management, resistance and refusal skills. As a primary prevention and intervention agency, we open doors others cannot, providing both enhancement and greater target group access.
Guggenheim Entertainment is always looking for partners in prevention and seek out other organizations working toward collaboration in solving the issues facing American youth. Our partners and our clients understand the power and effectiveness of a live theatrical production in communicating a health and prevention message. Our Prevention & Education Programs are also available for replication and for presentation (please see Royalty Properties).
Capability and Experience
Guggenheim Entertainment has a fifteen year history of touring to schools reaching over 1,000,000 students (over 70% through prevention and education programs). Our extensive experience in bringing high quality health prevention and issue oriented theater productions to students all over California, has proven to be both an effective and extremely cost efficient way of affecting students: the per student cost has been estimated to be $1.07/person.
By bringing theatre into the schools, we address specific issues of importance to student populations and enhance curriculum already in place. We believe that theatre reaches children on a deeper and more satisfying level than a textbook and that emotionally effecting a child through dramatic performance can help them appreciate and understand other points of view.
Our Together Tobacco Free program had a noted effect on reducing smoking among youth in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara Counties (On Alert! Gang Prevention, California Dept. Of Education, Sacramento 1994). The program was developed to encourage students to look at their choices and behavior regarding health. It focused on educating San Francisco Bay Area students about the health risks associated with tobacco use. Since the program's initial funding in 1991, Together Tobacco Free has reached over 250,000 students in Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara Counties. According to a report from researchers at UC San Diego, the percentage of teen-age smokers in Alameda County dropped by nearly 1/3 between 1990 and 1993, while, statewide, the number of teen-age smokers remained constant. Sylvia Jimenez, coordinator of the Alameda County Public Health Department's Tobacco Control Program, attributed the decline in tobacco use to the quantity and quality of anti-tobacco youth programs that the county has funded, citing the production,"The Tobacco Road", as the key to its programming (Valley Times, March 21, 1995).
Guggenheim Entertainment has also earned favorable student reviews for our non-violence project. "Peace Up!" is an interactive program originally created by the Illusion Theatre Company of Minneapolis. This production presents children with non-violent solutions to family problems and playground violence. The project educates students on topics such as empathy, decision making, and conflict resolution. Guggenheim Entertainment's Bay Area production of "Peace Up!" received rave reviews by children (The Independent , January 18, 1995). Student Derek Rossi said, "It showed me how to treat people differently, better than I usually do. It showed me I should respect others." Other students added, "It was great! It was trying to teach us that peace, not violence, is the way to go."
A Call to Action
There is currently an atmosphere of intolerance growing across the country, with increasing tension between our communities. This intolerance is in part fueled by worsening economic conditions and increased competition for dwindling resources. The state of California has an increasing number of incidents of hate-motivated behavior and crime over the last few years, including incidents on school campuses. Our school populations are becoming more diverse. These changes challenge the school community to find new and more effective ways to meet the needs of students and create a harmonious environment.
Guggenheim Entertainment Answers the Call
Our Prevention & Education Programs are designed to promote intercultural understanding through the arts. Guggenheim Entertainment firmly believes that young people can take a leadership role in improving their individual and global communities.
Goals
- Empower young people to create and promote solutions to community problems.
- Provide opportunities for young people to share their visions, concerns and solutions.
- Promote intercultural appreciation and understanding.
- Provide opportunities for young people to use conflict resolution principles in their lives.
Methods
The participation of at-risk youth in creating and sharing performance messages is a key element in the success of our Prevention & Education projects and give youth the opportunity to work together toward a common goal in a safe, multi-cultural environment. The participants are encouraged (through discussions and workshops) to examine their lives, beliefs, and feelings. Based on what they learn through group interaction, guest lectures, and community exploration, participating youths create their own performance. The performance focuses on their collective solutions to the social problems facing them and their peers. Rather than providing intervention directly through authority figures, they search for their own solutions and participate in a positive social situation while increasing their sense of self-esteem and personal value.
Our programs offer students personal empowerment by:
* Providing positive adult role models that directly reflect the target group. (Guggenheim Entertainment recruits and hires professional actors/actresses/educators of diverse cultures and backgrounds.)
* Demonstrating that each individual is a valued member of society.
* Establishing standards of behavior for school and home.
* Demonstrating respect for all people and respect for oneself.
* Encouraging enhanced self-esteem through individual and group accomplishments.
* Resolving interpersonal conflicts in a positive, non-violent manner uniting them with a common goal and increasing their sense of responsibility, self-esteem, and personal value.
The following is a partial list of innovative programs toured:
"Addict"
A drug awareness experience.
"Step On A Crack"
An exploration of the conflicts involved when the family unit changes.
"Juvie"
What happens to kids behind bars and why are they there?
"Runaways"
The dangerous adventures of runaway street kids.
"Scrapbooks"
A sensitive and revealing look at teenage pregnancy.
"Hunger In Progress"
A play promoting knowledge of world, local, and spiritual hunger.
"The Ugly Duckling"
Utilizing the Kabuki theater style, this musical production empowers children by building their self-esteem.
"The Arkansas Bear"
Death, dying, and the grieving process.
"My Dad and Me"
Effects of co-dependency and alcoholism on the family.
"Family"
Family communication and conflict management.
"Peace Up!"
Violence prevention and conflict management.
"The Tobacco Road"
Facts and fiction related to tobacco consumption and the tobacco industry.
"The Genesis Project"
Sexual Assault Prevention and Peer Education.
Sample Summary of a Prevention & Education Project:
- Formation of a Task Force.
- Development of Educational Materials.
- Peer Training Workbook.
- Learning Guide.
- Community Resource Guide.
- Community Activity Packet.
- Recruitment of participating youths.
- Peer Training.
- Production Development.
- In-Service Training and Community Workshops.
- Production Performance and Post-Show Discussions.
- Peer leadership and Placement.
- Closure Events.
- Process Evaluation
Click here for summaries of "The Tobacco Road" and "The Genesis Project", two of our highly successful Prevention & Education Programs.
We invite you to contact us to discuss how we may work together to produce more life-changing projects such as these.
To quote Charlie Brown, "Life is like a 10-speed bicycle, we all have a lot of gears we never use." Using the arts is an excellent way to stimulate creativity, catalyze change, and give bigger voice to children. When we are overwhelmed by the mountain of work ahead of us in Prevention and Education, it helps to keep in mind that using the arts is a way to stimulate those gears we do not use.
