Sir Ken Robinson reframes the relationship between the Arts and Science. He highlights the hollowness of this false dichotomy and points to the value of looking at the Arts and Science as a symbiotic relationship, particularly with regard to mental health.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sir-ken-robinson/science-feeling-mindful-living_b_1205675.html
For a number of reasons, the experiences of children and youth often differ from those of adults in many ways. While mental health, in general, is a complex matter, teen mental health, in particular, is laden with a variety of specific issues including the stresses and pressures of family and school life. We know that our brains and bodies are greatly affected by stress and trauma, both in the short and long-term. Children who experience adverse or “toxic stress”, in particular, often have difficulty responding to the world around them accordingly.
Check out this new approach to discipline that teachers and administrators are taking to support the health and well-being of their students, especially those who are living with this kind of stress, and to bolster the resilience of their school community as a whole.
Playwright and director Edward Roy’s new play, Beyond the Cuckoo’s Nest, is now playing on our Mainstage. Commissioned by YPT, this play explores teen mental health and stigmatization. It connects strongly with Canada’s Mental Health Awareness Week, which begins today. Beyond the Cuckoo’s Nest previews today and runs until May 17th.
Before you come to see the show, here are some questions to talk about with your family, friends, classmates and teachers.
• What do you think of when you hear the phrase “mental health?”
• What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “mental illness?”
• Can you list any mental health issues?
• What are some pre-conceived notions we have of people who suffer from mental illness?
• How is mental illness portrayed in the media?
• How do you define stigma?
• What are some of the stereotypes or stigmas that have been formed about individuals who are marginalized because they differ from the social norm?
• Have you ever witnessed or experienced stigma in your own life?
• Why is something that is stigmatized often so difficult to talk about?
• How can we learn to better understand and empathize with the struggles that are connected with being marginalized or oppressed?
For more questions, activities and resources related to the play, download our Study Guide: http://youngpeoplestheatre.ca/en/current/cuckoosnest.cfm.
Photo Credit: Daniel Alexander.
The Royal Shakespeare Company is set to simultaneously broadcast a recorded production of Tim Crouch’s I, Cinna to thousands of schools across the UK.
What do you think of RSC’s new initiative?
YPT has just announced the playbill for the 2012/13 season, dedicated to the theme: I Wish.
L-R: Allen MacInnis, Artistic Director & Hugh Neilson, Managing Director Photo: Denise Grant Photography
Perhaps nothing defines childhood more than the word hope. Children have so much of their lives ahead of them — so many important developmental experiences coming at them at all times – that there is no alternative but to be hopeful when facing the future.
For a while, I have wanted to program a season around the phrase I Wish. It’s a sentence that in adults we might find naïve, but in a child we find both wonderful and inspiring. Wishing is about daring to aspire. It is also about keeping the imagination open to possibility. And, of course, it is an open-hearted expression of hope.
Wishes often come true … but they rarely come free. As young people grow up, the need for them to connect actions with consequences becomes increasingly important. The reality that choices must be made is hard to accept. Does growing up mean the end of wishing?
Our 2012/13 season is about hope: having powerful dreams of change, staying hopeful in the face of adversity, and sharing the positive effects of hope. I fervently wish for every child who attends our next season to come away from here with the flame of hope brightly alight in their hearts and minds.
Hope to see you at YPT!
Allen MacInnis,
Artistic Director
For full details, please click here: http://www.youngpeoplestheatre.ca/media/2012-13/2012-13YPTSeason.pdf
With our production of Beyond the Cuckoo’s Nest (http://youngpeoplestheatre.ca/en/current/cuckoosnest.cfm) just around the corner, we’ve been thinking a lot about our teenage audiences here at YPT. This play examines mental health, specifically as it pertains to teenagers.
This article offers insight into how mental health affects teens and to the amazing ways in which the adolescent brain can – and does – change! http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203806504577181351486558984.html
How are you celebrating April 22nd? We’d love to hear how you’re recognizing our planet today and everyday. Write about or draw us a picture of some of your favourite Earth Day activities and we’ll share them on our blog! Please send your submissions to ladamson@youngpeoplestheatre.ca.
COUNTDOWN TO EARTH DAY CONTINUES! We’ll be providing you with ideas on how you can celebrate every day this week.
Our final two performances of Jack and the Giant Beanstalk are at 11:00 and 2:00 today.
If you get the chance to see the show, we’d love to hear more about your experience! Write us a review or draw a picture of your time at YPT and we’ll post it on our blog. Please send these to ladamson@youngpeoplestheatre.ca.
COUNTDOWN TO EARTH DAY CONTINUES! We’ll be providing you with ideas on how you can celebrate every day this week.
Tomorrow is your last chance to see Jack and the Giant Beanstalk at Young People’s Theatre.
With a central focus on environmental education and responsibility, Linda A. Carson’s retelling of this story is the perfect Earth Day excursion.
Before you come, try one of the activities from ourJack and the Giant Beanstalk Study Guide: youngpeoplestheatre.ca/en/current/jack.cfm.
COUNTDOWN TO EARTH DAY CONTINUES! We’ll be providing you with ideas on how you can celebrate every day this week.
Learn about the effects of saving water and the necessity of fresh water to our world.
Create a community agreement with your class or family with a list of at least five steps of action you pledge to take in order to reduce your water consumption.
For more information, visit: ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/water/story_of_water/water_tips.pdf.