At the suggestion of my advisor, I have been looking at the MGR foundation. As per their Mission page on their website, the "Marilyn G Rabb Foundation is committed to overcoming social and economic barriers and creating innovated programs that positively impact our communities. [It] is a... not-for-profit organization whose main purpose is to serve and educate communities in need, both locally and throughout the United States". To achieve these goals, the MGR Foundation has home bases in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Twin Cities, and Las Vegas, that address the areas of Health & Well Being, Environmental & Social Justice, and Arts, Education & Youth Development. While each programs in every area is not active is all of the cities, Pittsburgh has all three Arts, Education & Youth Development programs: MURALS, Willpower, and PeerCorps.
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MURALS provides the opportunity for students to explore through "drama, visual arts, music, movement, and media." Students get to work with local teaching artists to explore social issues and to create a safe environment to share and learn, touching subjects such as violence, emotional expression, cultural sensitivity, and cooperation.Meredith Hoppe is the MURALS program director, and can be reached at meredith@mgrf.org.
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Willpower combines peer theatre and sex education to create a unique and powerful teen pregnancy prevention program. Improvised, mini-skits are performed by for the students, and they have a chance to alter or correct negative sexual behavior portrayed (sounds similar to Theatre of the Oppressed!). These skits are supported by factual information and discussions, helpful for processing, understanding, and community strength.4 Basic Components:
1. teen ensemble
2. program facilitators
3. program evaluator
4. community educators
The contact info for Willpower is info@mgrf.org.
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PeerCorps is a national, youth-targeted version of PeaceCorps, dedicated to pairing a college student or adult volunteer with a student at a detention center, an at-risk high school or elementary school, or in the juvenile justice system. This relationship is a 2-year commitment of mentorship and guidance, and as the two people are carefully matched together, the pairing aims to result in reduced violent behavior and better academic success.
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As for my own interests, MURALS would end up being my first choice, due to its varied art components and program goals closely related to my own aspirations. As much as I would love to be involved in PeerCorps next semester, I could not start until my senior year because of my plans to study abroad in the spring of 2014 (participating in PeerCorps my senior year or the year after I graduate is something I would totally consider doing). Willpower, while it sounds like a fascinating and rewarding program to be involved in, might not be suited for me since I personally never had a teenage pregnancy; I wonder if perhaps that might create a distance between the girls and myself.
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All of the Staff contact info is below. I include this because I will probably need to contact a couple of these people in order to obtain the information I need:
Phil Koch, Executive Director: phil@mgrf.org • Becky Flaherty, National Development Director: bflaherty@mgrf.org • Meredith Hoppe Murals Program Director: meredith@mgrf.org • Dana Dutcher, Program Coordinator: ddutcher@mgrf.org • Bridgett Williams, Director, MGR Charlotte: bwilliams@mgrf.org • Darrell Kinsel, Program Coordinator, Public Ally: dkinsel@mgrf.orgMGR is based in Chicago with offices in Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, and Twin Cities.
In the next couple of weeks, I will get in contact with a person from MGR and get the ball rolling on a potential fall internship!
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