Monday, December 11, 2006
Communication Studies students mentor Boys and Girls Club kids
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For the last five years, students in Communication Studies courses have led workshops with youth groups at the Evansville Boys and Girls Club. Dr. Leigh Anne Howard, director of Communication Studies, said, “It’s a service learning project, but also gives students additional opportunities to practice what they are doing in the classroom, while at the same time engaging in activities that make them more aware of what’s going on in their community.” In fall 2006, students in CMST 203: Introduction to Performance Studies are working with six- and seven-year-olds at the Boys and Girls Club. The class is an elective in the major and also fulfills the arts requirement in the University Core Curriculum. “The things we do and say can be considered a performance. Every day, we take on roles and engage in dramatic actions, whether we’re telling a story, participating in a ceremony, teasing our friends, or arguing whether we should get an A or B in class rather than a D,” Howard said. “The purpose of the class is to be more attuned with these daily acts of communication by looking at them through a performance lens. “The other aspect is to be able to better understand difference - what other people and cultures are like – as best as we can. One way we can do this is by taking on multiple roles or personae that are different from ourselves.” After introducing themselves in a creative way, USI students and youth group members work in pairs, performing a number of warm-up exercises to help them feel involved and comfortable. The workshops include voice and body oriented exercises, games, and interactive theatre projects, and conclude with performances by USI students that mirror subjects they are studying in class such as poetry or folk tales. All of the poems and stories are multicultural literature geared for the appropriate age group. Near the end of the semester, Boys and Girls Club children come to the USI campus for a program, tour, and reception. Howard said the program offers great mentoring opportunities. “The USI students are role models coming into their space, giving them times and attention, and listening to them,” she said. The young children also gain confidence from performing in the workshops. “It’s as simple as being able to have an opportunity to tell a story. It gives these very young children the chance to talk in front of people.” Howard joined the University in fall 2000. She was formerly program director for Communication Studies at Spalding University in Louisville. |
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