Changing Lives in the Media Spotlight

Check out our feature on KXAN news!!

Kudos to our ensemble for being amazing on-camera

and taking a stand against bullying.

Student play attacks bullying: kxan.com

In addition to writing the show and performing, our ensemble members also get some pretty amazing opportunities to spread our anti-bullying message. Here we are participating in a media training.

Media training allows us to practice answering questions

in an interview format.

The best part is that we get to practice it all ON CAMERA!

Who knew that untangling a human knot could be this much FUN!?!?

Spreading Our Message on the Road

Reach Out, Speak Up has been touring to conferences and middle schools this month. The ensemble has been performing this show and having exciting dialogue with students, educators and parents in Austin and the surrounding area.

Kristal (as Claire - the target of bullying) and Greg

(as Claire's Dad) perform a scene that shows

a Dad reaching out to his daughter

by playing a song he wrote just for her.

(At the Con Mi Madre Conference)

Ensemble members getting CHEEZY for the cameras!

(L to R: Max, Adrian, Madi, Greg & Boni)

Last minute PEP talk before our show at Wallace MS in Kyle, TX

After the show, we sometimes get GOOFY :)

Thanks for tuning in!

Reach Out, Speak Up Trailer

Check out the trailer for our 2010-2011 touring show, "Reach Out, Speak Up."

Our tour kicks off at full speed in February for Teen Dating Violence Prevention Month.

We'll be coming soon to a school near you!

Ensemble Voices

This week, we're featuring the voices of a few of our ensemble members. Check out what they have to say about our program!

Darryl

It's made me realize things I didn't before. Like Bullying could just be just having fun making jokes about someone. But that person could be really hurt by what you said. I also realized that anyone can spread a rumor without actually thinking, "I am now spreading a rumor." You could just be telling friends stuff about what you heard from other people. Just be cautious and think before you act - or even speak. Have the thought process of, "What am I really doing if I say this?" or, "What would be the outcome if I did this?" It's a lot of "what ifs" but sometimes you have to think.

Now in our new play, "Reach Out, Speak Up," a few main topics are bullying and rumor-spreading, which I believe is great. People should be informed about these things and also try to make a difference. Trying to make a difference makes a difference. :D

Jonathan

At school

I see others bullying each other

I see students disrespecting teachers

I see too much play fighting that turns into a real fight

I hear others getting bullied by their supposed-called friends

I see or hear that Bullies sometimes get away with it

Changing Lives makes you notice what's bullying or how it feels when you get bullied. You learn how to be yourself and tell others about the program and have others think about joining into Changing Lives to change others' lives and to stop bullying because it HURTS.

Hear more from our ensemble members next week!

New Changing Lives Videos!

Ensemble Directors Nitra and Susie appear on a local morning TV show to discuss cyberbullying, our new production and the power students have to make positive changes in youth culture. Watch below!

Cyber Bullying and Dating Violence: MyFoxAUSTIN.com

Darryl's Jamskating Solo

Tommie dances with his friend Lauren

More great news to come!

Preview "Reach Out, Speak Up" Tonight at the Griffin School

Standing: Tommie as "The Rocket," Stephanie as "Melissa," and Adrian as "Dude"

Seated: Kristal plays "Claire"

"Reach Out, Speak Up" is an original theatre piece that our ensemble of 20 teens and 3 adult facilitators have created over the course of the Fall semester. This play aims to address issues of bullying and the isolation many teens face in high school. We hope to engage our audiences in dialogue about these issues, so please come see our work-in-development and join us in our creative process.

"Reach Out, Speak Up" is appropriate for middle school aged audiences and up.

Where: Griffin School 710 e 41st street, across from the Hancock Center

When: Thursday, December 9th - Performance will begin at 8pm.

From left to right: Adalai as "Melissa," Adrian as "Dude" and Nicole as "Claire"

Please see our blurb below from more info about our story!

Being the new kid in high school is tough. Finding yourself the victim of bullying in school is worse. When Claire, a new student, becomes the target of a cyberbullying campaign, she realizes she does not know where to turn. Observe the story from both sides in our new Changing Lives performance.

How can the new girl find a way to fight back against cyberbullying? How can bystanders, both in school and online, take action? What can our teachers and families do to support their kids and students? What pushes someone to become the bully?

Our play is still a work in progress but we're very proud of our group's hard work. Join us at the Griffin School to engage in the dialogue and celebrate a successful fall semester with our super-talented ensemble.

Standing Up to Cyberbullying!

In our latest play, a new girl comes to school to get a new start and finds herself the victim of a cyberbullying campaign. This behavior has become a huge problem among young people in the last few years. Cyberbullying is when teens use the Internet, cell phones or other devices to send or post messages or images that are intended to hurt or embarrass another person.

Cyberbullying behaviors can look different. Pretending to be someone you're not to trick others, spreading lies or rumors about the victim, tricking people to reveal personal information, sending (or forwarding) mean text messages or posting pictures of someone without their consent can all be forms of cyberbullying.

If you or someone you know is being harassed via text messages or the Internet, there are steps that can be taken to end it. You can start by blocking all communication with the bully, deleting their messages without reading them and reporting the problem to an adult. You should also talk to your friends about what is happening and give them chances to support you.

According to the National Crime Prevention Council, 81% of teens surveyed said they thought most people do it because they think it's funny. Because we can't easily interpret the tone of a text message, what one person calls a joke can end up being dangerously hurtful.

Remember -- encouraging your friends to pass along anything that could hurt someone IS Cyberbullying. Stand up to your friends and tell them to stop it. Let them know that no one deserved to be Cyberbullied!