YOUTH CENTER STAGE PERFORMING ARTS
Cause Area
- Arts & Culture
- Children & Youth
- Community
- Education & Literacy
- Veterans & Military Families
Location
10823 BRISTOW RDBRISTOW, VA 20136 United StatesOrganization Information
Mission Statement
Youth Center Stage strives to create an environment that allows for the freedom of expression for students and a non-judgmental setting to help reduce bullying and targets of bullying. We use the rules of improv to in order to use an innovative way to get the kids excited about communicating with one another.
Description
Lawanda Council (Executive Director) begins her journey by staring in plays such as The Wiz, Just When You Least Expect It, and many others. Then she and her husband decided to open a daycare. After running 3 facilities at a time, Lawanda decided to expand to reach children in the school system and beyond. That's where Youth Center Stage began. We provide after-school programs, workshops, and summer camps to keep our youth engaged and empowered through the Arts.
Our goal is to change the perception of bullying and create a positive fun dialogue between students. We want to eliminate the stigma of bullying. We strive to create an environment where the bully and the bullied find a more productive way to communicate. We do this by using the rules of improv and theater.
Lawanda has won the award for educator of the year. Youth Center Stage has worked with Prince William County Spark, Leadership Prince William, Jirani Coffeehouse, Youth for Tomorrow, Manassas City Parks and Recreation, and Rotary Youth Leadership.