Poverty Silences …but not in our classrooms.

Dear Friend,

Wherever we go we share the stories of the amazing students Global Empowerment Theatre (GET) serves in impoverished communities around the world and our friends inevitably ask, “How can we help?”

At the colleges where we teach, we tell our friends about the underserved and under confident girls we work with who now know that the world is hearing their voices. We tell our friends of boys like Seif who saw the girls in his class with new eyes after our workshops telling us he never knew how the girls in his class suffered and our friends say to us, “How can we help?”

At the playground with our daughter, we tell the parents of her friends about our student Gift, a shy girl who came to life on our stages. She shared her dream of making her own choices so loud and so proud to her school and her community that they cheered her. We tell of how we witnessed Gift on stage grow bigger before our eyes, bigger than the stage, bigger than the school, bigger than her community, suddenly a colossus! We tell of how Gift has now triumphed by obtaining a coveted job as concierge at the top local hotel while continuing to write her own plays. We tell of Gift’s transformation in our workshop and our friends say, “How can we help?”

Gift performing in GETZanzibar 2010’s play, Yes We Can!

Well there is a way you can help, a way you can partner with us!  Every child deserves to be heard; with your help, the world will hear their hearts. We need to raise $25,000 by January 1st, 2015. We hope you will make a secure tax-deductible gift to GET* by using the link below or writing a check made out to “Artspire” with “GETheatre” written in the memo. All checks can be sent to:

GETheatre
285 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024

Donate

Thanks to your generous donations over the past seven years, thousands of young people in Zanzibar, India, and Myanmar have shared their unique voices and stories with their communities, have acquired leadership opportunities, and have enhanced their literacy so critical in their pursuit of a future university education and a professional career. Help us share the voices of young people like Seif and Zawadi. Partner with us in offering young people a platform to voice their dreams and their concerns.

Our programs are designed to teach boys to ally with girls. Teaching boys to be their allies is key to affecting long-term change.  We view schools as the frontline in the fight against the silencing of girls and women. The end to sexual discrimination and violence against girls begins in the classroom. Partner with us in inspiring boys to be allies for girls. Partner with us in our mission to empower these young people to be leaders in their communities and global citizens in the struggle for a more just world. Every time you donate to GET, you are working with us to challenge and change the culture in schools.

2015 promises to be an important year for us as we continue to grow our current programs, while beginning plans for year-round programming, facilitator training, and a field office in New York City. While we have enjoyed working with the esteemed New York Foundation for the Arts as an “emerging organization,” we have successfully expanded our reach and will be acquiring our own 501c3 status in the next year. We need your help to make this great step possible and to help us serve even more students and educators in the coming year. Thank you for your generous and continued contributions to GET.

With gratitude and warmth,

      
Jennifer Holmes                                   John Socas
Founder and Director                           Founder and Director

Children are always so proud to get their certificates of completion at the end of a GET workshop.

Are you interested in doing more to help the voices of impoverished youth be heard? GET is currently looking to expand our board. Click here to learn more and email Jennifer Holmes to inquire about opportunities.