Su Teatro for Casa Milagro Youth Solutions

We began 10 years ago being trained by Pregones Puerto Rican Theater from the Bronx on Forum Theater and Theater of the Oppressed.  Our focus was on the importance of hearing our youth's voices.  We have witnessed a myriad of amazing interactions by our youth in expressing their thoughts and their solutions for real-life situations.  We remind our youth that there is not just one solution, but that there are multiple solutions. We have had pilot projects and showcases.  We have been working with the Gang Rescue and Support Project (GRASP), the Gang Reduction Initiative of Denver (GRID), Juvenile and Municiple Diversion, Boys and Girls Clubs, Denver and Adams County Public Schools, The American Indian Academy, alternative high schools, housing authorities, youth conferences and festivals.  LifeLine started with us from our beginning.  We performed at the State Capital for Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA), for the Pedagogy of the Oppressed Conference at Colorado State University Pueblo.   We presented an 8-session program for the Conejos County Department of Social Service's teens in their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. We in turn took the Forum Theater curriculum to the Justice Heritage Academy in Antonito, Colorado this year.  We are now preparing to take youth from our partnering organizations to our Teen Engagement Workshop in Winter Park for 5-days in December to train them on the Forum Theater techniques.  In the afternoons, our teens will also have the opportunity to swim in the outdoor heated pool, ride the gondola, go tubing under neon lights and on Friday they will be able to ski all day.  All expenses will be paid for our teen participants. These teens will become Peer Mentor Leads and will return to their organizations equipped with the skills to present skits to their peers on real-life issues they are confronted with.  These Peer Mentors Leads will be training new Peer Mentors on an on-going basis.  We will provide support and get updates from our partners on a monthly basis.   We will continue building relationships and reaching more youth in Denver and around the state.  We will be presenting at three workshops and conferences with the Colorado School Safety Resources Center in 2023.  We have been fortunate to collaborate with Cirque du Soleil for several years taking our youth to their performances and to a behind the scenes experience and a Q&A with various staff.  We continue to write new scripts for requested topics.  Today we address teen dating violence, males disrespecting females, bulling, gang intervention, drug misuse, pregnancy, adolescence, first job interview and LGBTQ issues.  There is no limit to the topics, and we present improv pieces on-the-spot.   We work with kindergarten through high school. We say, "You have not just been rehearsing a play, you are rehearsing for life."