Heads Up Hood

The workshops are tailored to the needs of each school. They battle a variety of social issues ranging from classism, discrimination based on sexual orientation, and bullying. Students are separated into several groups, each with one a common goal – build the best community. The students are unaware of what social group they represent. Actors from Heads Up Productions interact with the groups, treating them differently based on their status. According to Benjamin, one of the goals of the workshop is to “get them [students] to realize what institutionalized racism is and what their prejudices are that they might not know that they have.” There have been a variety of student reactions to the role playing exercises. “Some students really just break down,” says Benjamin. “There was one school…it was really interesting. The Caucasian, high high-class group in a middle school refused to take the good treatment. They started to act out so the actors would treat them poorly so that they’re like the other groups.” After the workshops are finished, the Heads Up crew allow the students to decompress by talking about the experience. The actors help students create action plans on various levels (individual, class and school) that address peer tension. In response to the Heads Up workshop, one middle school was even able to develop a student play to deal with issues on bullying.It’s the hope of Heads Up Productions that these interactive workshops will teach students how to cope with similar real-life situations. Representatives from different schools sat in on the Burners Without Borders- funded Heads Up workshops, and many are interested in bringing the program to their school next year.

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