Brave Schools is an arts-based initiative that helps schools build an inclusive campus culture where all students, faculty, and parents feel connected, safe, and inspired to support social and emotional learning. Each Brave School receives year-round professional development for faculty and staff, 5-day interactive performance residencies for participating grades, parent workshops, access to free family events, and supplemental resources including extension curriculum and take-home informational materials that help connect in-school social emotional development to academics and family life.
Our highly successful, multi-day, interactive performance residencies, the core of our Brave School programming, use theatre and dialogue activities in Pre-K through 7th grade classrooms to activate social and emotional development, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills. These residencies serve 500 classrooms and 10,000 students each year.
Learn more about the Brave School program and the details of participation here.
If you’re interested in bringing our Brave Schools program to your school, please contact Programs@creativeaction.org. We can also work with you to provide a customized program that meets your school’s needs.
Participating Brave Schools receive access to the following exclusive events. RSVP by clicking on the event.
For educators and administrators:
- Half Day Professional Development, 11/8/2018
- Half Day Professional Development, 2/6/2019
- Full Day Professional Development, 3/2/2019
- Educator Appreciation Happy Hour, 3/6/2019
For parents (childcare and dinner provided):
- Creatively Connecting with your Child: Regulating with Emotions, Increasing Cooperation, 11/28/2018
- Raising Kids to be Courageous Allies and Prevent Bullying, 3/9/2019
Wembley’s New Friends
Grades Pre-K | 25 Students Max | 5 One-Hour Sessions
Outcomes: Students gain self-awareness, problem-solving skills, creative thinking strategies, a respect for diversity, and an excitement for reading.
About: Students help Wembley the Worm adjust to his new school surroundings by learning how to name feelings, self-regulate, make friends, and handle big emotions.
Welcome Armadillo, Somos Comunidad
Grade: Kindergarten | 25 Students Max | 5 One-Hour, English-Spanish Bilingual Sessions
Outcomes: Students learn social emotional skills like self-awareness, self-management, and relationship skills.
About: Music, puppetry, and performance are used to spark imaginations as we journey into an animal sanctuary to make new friends.
The Heroes / Los Héroes
Grades 1st | 15-25 Students | 5 One-Hour, English-Spanish Bilingual Sessions
Outcomes: Students gain social emotional and literacy skills by learning: a four-step conflict resolution process; to identify, manage, and respectfully respond to their own and others’ emotions; to value the wisdom of diverse people, cultures and traditions; verbal and written literacy through storybooks and reading.
TEKS Addressed
About: In this interactive, bilingual performance, Teaching Artists use role-play, puppetry, song, movement, and games to teach a four-step conflict resolution process. Students join Sam the Salamander as he sets off on a journey from Barton Springs to Costa Rica to Mt. Kilimanjaro to discover the four steps to peace.
Access The Heroes/Los Heroés accompanying album here.
A Pirate Friendship
Grades 2nd | 15-25 Students Per Classroom | 5 One-Hour Sessions
Outcomes: Students improve their literacy skills and gain enthusiasm for reading through an interactive, theatre-based adventure; teachers learn new tools for teaching literacy.
TEKS Addressed
Themes and Skills
About: Students help pirate clans learn how to get along with those who are different. Students strengthen literacy skills using the book The Secret Footprints as they explore how to listen, respect various perspectives, and help friends.
Turn the World Around
Grades 3rd | 15-25 Students Per Classroom | 5 One-Hour Sessions
Outcomes: Students improve their literacy skills and gain enthusiasm for reading through an interactive, theatre-based adventure; teachers learn new tools for teaching literacy.
TEKS Addressed
Themes and Skills
About: Critical thinking and creative problem solving are employed as students dive into the book, The Araboolies of Liberty Street. Using their creativity, they work together to save the future by focusing on being brave and using teamwork.
The Courage to Stand
Grades 4th | 15-25 Students | 5 One-Hour Sessions
This program is generously supported by Hank and Yvette Farrell.
Outcomes: Students learn how to safely intervene in a bullying situation and act as a “courageous bystander” while developing social studies, literacy, and social emotional skills, including healthy risk taking, listening, communication, critical thinking, empathy, and leadership.
TEKS ADDRESSED
Themes and Skills
About: By exploring historical acts of courage, including moments from the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement, students learn to examine the choices, risks, and consequences of intervening to help the target in a bullying situation. This interactive performance aligned with social studies, language arts, and fine arts curricula teaches young people to creatively investigate the idea of courage and how to act as a “courageous bystander.”
Courage in Action
Grades 5th | Up to 30 Students | 5 One-Hour Sessions
Outcomes: Students gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be allies and leaders in their communities by learning how to verbalize when they recognize a problem, resolve conflicts positively, and educate their peers about issues they face.
Teks Addressed
Themes and Skills
About: Students discover that they have the power to create positive change in their community through this interactive performance aligned with the social studies, language arts, and general health curricula. By exploring activism through the story of civil rights leader César Chávez, students learn what it means to be a confident leader and how they can use leadership skills to address present-day issues they identify in their community.
Crossing the Line
Grades 6th-7th | 25 Students | 5 One-Hour Sessions
Outcomes: Students develop important social and emotional skills, such as responsible decision-making, self awareness, and empathy, as they prepare to enter high school. Youth learn about bullying, sexual harassment, healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, boundaries and consent, gender roles and stereotypes, and how to be a courageous bystander.
TEKS Addressed
Themes and Skills
About: Through interactive theatre and dialogue, students define boundaries, consent, permission, and sexual harassment while rehearsing ways to be an ally to a peer. Students experience the complicated world of middle school conflicts through the eyes of four 7th grade characters. Developed with the UT School of Nursing, the program examines harassment and bullying through social media as well as in-person, and is aligned with the general health curriculum.