Empowerment Arts Vision

Vision Statement
A Devoted Space: 2000 - 3000 square feet made up of several separate varied-purpose spaces--dance, art, multi-purpose, studio, office, kitchen, child-care / child-centered spaces, wheelchair accessible, private (feels safe for participants stepping out of their comfort zone to try something new), in Brattleboro (preferably in or close to downtown with an outdoor environment for participants to experience and play in nature.)

The child-care / child-centered spaces are utilized for pre-school / care, after-school, home-schoolers as well as available for childcare during adult programming. The Empowerment Arts programming will be integrated into the children’s care and after-school program. For example, there would be a self-contained group of pre-schoolers during the day but would not maintain a maximum number so that children can be added for a particular scheduled activity by Empowerment Arts facilitators. Empowerment Arts activities will be offered several times a week as part of the pre-school or after school program. Also, in the evenings after regular childcare hours, when there is a program scheduled for adults, parents will have the option of making childcare arrangements on-site for the duration of the activity. When groups and workshops are programmed for the community in general, on-site children will be included age-appropriately. In some cases there will be an extra fee for on-site children.

Empowerment Arts Initiative is seeking avenues to receive funding to serve as many members of our community who could benefit from the programs we offer. To this end, EA wishes to come under the umbrella of a local non-profit who would act as a fiscal sponsor, with similar goals and focus to complement our programs without being in direct competition. This fiscal sponsorship would make us more elegible for grant funding and other funding sources. There is an initiative in Vermont to move away from an attitude of “deterring” unhealthy behaviors and to move towards “development” when dealing with youth issues. Instead of focusing on the negative, on stopping behaviors, there is a more positive , empowering position affirming the health potential and future success of our youth. Empowerment Arts joins this initiative to say “Yes” to our youth and Vermonters of all ages.

Empowerment Arts offers a “process” oriented experience as well as skill development. Serving children, youth and adults that may or may not identify themselves as artists, dancers, actors, musicians, storytellers... Opportunities are offered to participate in meaningful, empowering expressive experiences in a supportive, nurturing and affirming environment. We are not alone in offering such experiences, though the focus at EA is more often on being creative in the moment, sometimes without a particular project or definitive outcome. Activities can take the form of games, problem-solving group experiences and challenges as a playful part of the community puzzle. Individual wholeness is an important piece of the community whole. The journey and the destination... the process and the outcome... the forest and the trees... personal and interpersonal skill development in a safe, playful, empowering environment. more

We are interested in having a core staff of EA facilitators and “disciplines”, AND there is an inclusive, accessible approach toward facilitators and participants alike.

Types of Modalities and Facilitators:
Visual Arts: Art therapists, educators, artists with Master’s degrees in Art therapy, Education and / Fine Arts

Movement Arts: Expressive / dance therapists, educators, dancers with Master’s degrees in Expressive therapies, Education and Dance

Music / Voice Arts: Music educators, musicians, chorus leaders with degrees in Education, Music, voice

Play-Theatre Arts / Storytelling: Drama therapists, educators, actors, storytellers with Master’s degrees in Drama Therapy, Education, Language Arts, Acting

Action / Adventure Arts: Outdoor Leadership facilitators, therapists, educators trained in Adventure challenge / leadership and team building through certified teacher or program. For “high ropes” adventure challenges, professional certified leaders will be contracted for specific events / programs

Wilderness Arts: Outdoor Wilderness Arts facilitators, educators trained and experienced in traditional or non-traditional ways in the skills of natural identification, wilderness skills for survival and awareness of the gifts and care in relationship to the land, water, wildlife and seasons and cycles of the natural world.

Working definition of “empowerment”: Doing something that serves the highest for yourself or others when it is easier or habitual to follow unhealthy or unfulfilling patterns of behavior. There is a line of tension between comfort and discomfort, a line of tension between doing something familiar or compelling to serve an unexamined or unhealthy situation or pattern in one’s life and making a conscious choice to serve a higher goal. Even if one doesn’t change a behavior, there can be an acceptance and decision to choose to do it instead of being victim to it. These are places where we can meet “empowerment”. When we step over that line and choose something supporting health and well-being, when we say “yes” to the expression of our greatest potential, we feel empowered. This threshold experience is personal and universal. It could be something as private as writing in a journal or as public as singing in the local church. It is the place where we meet our greatest inspiration and our deepest fears. And though our little private victories and bravery are completely valid and meaningful, there is something magical or almost epic about being witnessed by others who also deeply know the courage it takes to step out of our comfort zone over that almost imperceptible threshold. Empowerment is freedom to choose something different. It doesn’t mean we always choose the “right” thing, but we choose with an attitude of learning. We are free to choose the “wrong” thing, but we feel empowered when we know we are free to make that choice and we can choose to learn from it. We find peace when we freely choose what serves our personal highest in attunement with what’s highest for the community and the planet.

Listed below are the formats used in programming to address development of the individual and the group.

The Invitation; self-exploration. We focus on:
•Skill building, self-confidence building;
•Individual problem-solving;
•Exploring arts as an expression of self;
•Taking safe personal risks;
•Recognizing and exploring universal archetypes and symbols.

The Interaction; self in relation to others. We focus on:
•Group communication skill building;
•Group problem-solving, teamwork and exploration of conflict styles;
•Exploring arts for self-expression in collaboration with others;
•Taking safe risks within the group;
•Exploring universal and personal archetypes and symbols.

The Initiation; challenging self in service of higher goals. We focus on:
•Finding personal power through deep exploration;
•Addressing self-defeating or unrewarding behavior / communication / relationship patterns;
•Actively seeking arts threshold opportunites;
•Commitment and action toward desired outcomes;
•Trying on new archetypes and roles as movement toward personal goals.

The Integration; empowered self and interconnection toward greater goals. We focus on:
•Developing strategies to maintain personal power in relationships;
•Managing conflict styles that support personal and interpersonal goals;
•Generalizing arts empowerment to everyday life ;
•Making commitments to personal threshold opportunities
•Expanding and reclaiming archetypes and symbols that support the greatest potential for self in relationship to others (family, community, planet).