The pilot groups began with a 6-week training program for interested parents and teachers. Sessions were held for 2 hours once a week in the evenings. Food was served and child care was provided. In both groups, parents decided to add a seventh week to prepare for the community forum. The sessions were organized to provide participants with opportunities to share their stories and develop collective resources for taking concrete future action.

Each session began with a “group round” in which individuals shared feelings and updates on obstacles and accomplishments relating to their experiences with Cambridge schools. This reflective process allowed for group bonding and enabled participants to experience the individual and collective power of their “small” but weekly accomplishments. Further, the rounds process created a space where all participants had the opportunity to discuss issues important to them.

The second part of each session sought to provide tools for analyzing racism, sexism, classism and other “isms.” The trainings typically taught and discussed theory and advocacy tools through stories. Some participants were very receptive to big picture thinking and read additional material that was not assigned as homework. A significant amount of time in the first four classes was used to identify key issues important to the parent participants. In the fifth session, participants developed strategies for presenting these issues to the community. The last few sessions focused on preparing for the community forum.

The public forum worked well in engaging audiences in the experiences of the workshop participants. Workshop members organized the program around role plays and skits. They used forum theater techniques to pose problems and to enlist audience participation. Members of the audience were asked how they might resolve the conflict that had just been performed. They were asked not to “tell” their idea but to “show” their idea. To do this they were invited to replace one of the protagonists and re-enact the same script using their idea.

This helped the forum audiences better understand parents’ issues and points of views and to rethink options for improving the Cambridge school system. The superintendent of the Cambridge public schools, two elementary school principals, school committee members, students, and several youth workers attended. Some engaged actively in the forum and were inspired to use the methods in their own groups. The childcare providers and younger children also contributed to the second half of the event. The Cambridge City Council passed a resolution in support of Arts for Action.

… more on Forum Theater at a community event
… more on Theater Techniques in a classroom setting