Empower Each Voice!
Rehearse for Change is a theater-based advocacy program designed specifically for middle school girls ages 12-14 to help them develop powerful public speaking skills and confidence for social justice work. The program combines theatrical techniques with advocacy training to help young women find their voices as effective changemakers in their communities.
Empowering Girls through Theater
Advocacy through Vocal Expression
Dialogue and Persuasive Communication
Dialogue and Persuasive Communication
Theater provides a powerful foundation for developing advocacy skills by teaching girls to project their voices with confidence and clarity. Research from the National Endowment for the Arts shows that arts participation creates strong links to broader civic and community involvement (NEA, "The Arts and Civic Engagement"). By embodying different perspectives and practicing articulation techniques, girls develop the vocal presence necessary for effective advocacy work.
Dialogue and Persuasive Communication
Dialogue and Persuasive Communication
Dialogue and Persuasive Communication
Through storytelling and role-playing exercises, theater creates opportunities for girls to practice the kind of respectful dialogue essential for social change work. Girls learn to present compelling arguments, listen actively to different viewpoints, and find common ground with those who may disagree with them. Studies from the National Institutes of Health demonstrate that civic engagement in adolescence leads to positive outcomes during emerging adulthood (NIH, "Adolescent Civic Engagement and Adult Outcomes," 2014). These communication abilities are fundamental for young women working to create change in their schools and communities.
Collaborative Teamwork
Dialogue and Persuasive Communication
Collaborative Teamwork
Theater thrives on teamwork, teaching girls how to work together toward shared goals while respecting individual contributions. Through group exercises, scene work, and
collaborative projects, girls develop skills in coalition-building, shared leadership, and collective problem-solving. Research indicates that collaborative skills developed through arts programs transfer directly to civic engagement activities. This collaborative foundation prepares girls to build the alliances necessary for effective advocacy work.
The Inspiration for Rehearse for Change
Building Girls' Confidence
Research shows that girls experience significant confidence drops during middle school years, particularly in public speaking situations (Speakers Trust, 2023). After researching the impact of theater-based programs, I developed a program designed to help middle school girls develop advocacy skills through theater techniques and reflection on examples of female advocacy roles in theater and film.
As someone who has greatly benefited from advocacy training through programs like SEGL and the ACLU Teen National Advocacy Institute, I've seen firsthand how my early exposure to these skills helped me gain confidence to create positive change. Rehearse for Change aims to provide similar opportunities for middle school girls at a critical time in their development.