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Active Bystander workshop – for high school and college age

June 21, 2021 @ 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Working Together for Change: Active Bystander Workshop (on zoom)
For High School and College age people

Active Bystander Training is a live interactive training that provides real time scenarios to effectively respond to everyday bigotry and public harassment, build dialogue skills and address one’s own places of bias.

REGISTER HERE

June 21, 5:30pm – 8:00pm
Session Two: Speaking up online & in public

Hosted by Hopkinton Freedom Team and Hopkinton Youth & Family Services with support from members of the Hopkinton Youth Commission and Hopkinton Cultural Council.

See more info here: https://www.hopkintonfreedomteam.org

Overview of active bystander interventions

Active bystanders, when they witness micro-aggressions, attacks, or other problematic interactions, they see these as harm-doing and step in to take constructive action. Positive action can take many forms, both during and after the event, depending on the situation, the persons involved, and the temperament and abilities of the bystander(s).

Being an active bystander requires practice using key skills in quickly evaluating situations and choose a course of action.

What the Youth who took this training have said…
“It introduced me to a method of speaking out that I wouldn’t have otherwise found or used. I am not afraid of being confrontational so I will often call people out but the steps of empathizing were something new to me that I think will make a big difference in the outcomes of my conversations.”

“I was pushed out of my comfort zone and learned a lot of good tactics for hard situations.”

What happens in a True Story Theater performance?  Our events bring together the delight of improvisation with the courageous vulnerability of people sharing their personal truth.

The show’s emcee (called “the conductor”) facilitates brief, spontaneous conversations with volunteers from the audience who share their own feelings and experiences related to the show’s theme.  After each conversation, the actors and musician immediately embody the key feelings and actions they heard, using movement, music, dialogue, and superb listening. All of it is improvised on the spot. During the course of a 75 minute show, True Story enacts about 6-8 stories.

From this simple interaction, audience members feel validated, laugh, cry, get insights about their lives, and feel an expanded sense of community. You can share a moment from your life and see it performed, or just come to watch.

What are True Story Theater’s classes like?  We will teach you the basics of Playback Theatre, which can hone your listening skills for everyday life.  All are welcome.  Classes are supportive, informal, intimate, and fun, an enriching experience for both newcomers and experienced actors.