THE IMPACT WAY - IMPACT Community Boot Camp

THE IMPACT WAY - IMPACT Community Boot Camp - An intergenerational group workshop program in under-resourced Black Communities in New York City using IMPACT's proven arts and leadership training techniques in social-emotional learning to keep "Reaching Up" in our community and offer a way to "Let the Healing Begin." 

GOALS & PROGRAM: IMPACT's goal is to produce a virtual and in-person free program for members of the Harlem community and other Black communities.

• The program would have participants go through a condensed version of IMPACT's Boot Camp Process. 
• IMPACT will produce 6-8 virtual segments that guide participants through the Boot Camp Program at their own pace. 
• Participants will have access to guided lessons in mindfulness and relaxation through Impact's "Sha" breathing technique. This relaxation technique allows the artist to connect the mind and body to be a clear channel for inspiration. 
• Participants will learn the critical Leadership pillars in Impact of SOS; Safe Space, Outstanding Effort, and Service to our Family, friends, and community; and how they have roots in the Black Panther Ten-Point Program. 
• Participants will learn core pillars in an introductory level to the Artistic disciplines of Acting, Dancing, Singing, Rapping, Writing, and Devised Theater. 

RATIONALE:

• A 2009 report on 5 Ways Arts Projects Can Improve Struggling Communities states that performing arts programs brings intergenerational engagement and inspiration to poor, minority, and disadvantaged communities. "Engaging youth has a dual benefit: it brings more adults into the picture. Research in civic engagement by the League of Women Voters indicates that the factor most likely to get people more involved in community affairs is helping to improve conditions for youth". Borrup. T (2009, January 1). 5 Ways Arts Projects Can Improve Struggling Communities. retrieved from htts://www.pps.org/article/artsprojects
• The National Endowment for the Arts report of 2020 states the arts are integral to our nation's social, civic, and economic well-being and vitality. Arts participation in childhood and youth has been linked to positive academic, social, and emotional outcomes later in life. There are also positive relationships between art-going and other social and civic activities, such as volunteering in communities." National Endowment for the Arts, The Arts, and Achievement in At-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies. Accessed December 10, 2020

TIMELINE:

• July 2021 - IMPACT staff and youth will narrow down the current IMPACT Boot Camp Curriculum and create a production calendar for "The Impact Way." 
• August 2021 - IMPACT staff and youth IMPACT will work through the BETA version of the program with alumni and community members. "The Impact Way" curriculum will be finalized, and the production calendar set.
• September 2021- Filming and editing the first workshop. 
• October through December 2021 - Launch our in-person and virtual workshops
• January 2022 - IMPACT will host a culminating event with the community members who participated in "The Impact Way" training. 

WHY WE ARE DOING THIS:

Involved in the NY Harlem community for 24 years, IMPACT has had over 1,000youth go through its Boot Camp Process. Often at IMPACT events, members from the older adult community are impressed and ask how to get involved with IMPACT. Covid has made us re-evaluate how we can continue to keep "Reaching Up" in our community and offer a way to "Let the Healing Begin."