Overview

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SAFE through the arts overview:

SAFE through the Arts is a bullying prevention program, which utilizes the creative and performing arts in order to empower young children. We currently serve kindergarten, PreK and Special Education classrooms within the Schenectady City School District as well as urban public schools within New York’s Capital Region. Beginning in the spring of 2020, will plan to launch our program into Brooklyn, NYC and will also eventually be serving public schools within New York City’s five boroughs and underserved urban communities within New York State. Our priority is to bring the program into schools serving economically challenged and culturally diverse populations.
SAFE through the Arts is a bullying prevention program, which utilizes the creative and performing arts to empower young children. The program takes place in five kindergarten and special education classrooms in each participating school once a week for the duration of six weeks. Each SAFE through the arts class follows a set curriculum, which incorporates a daily puppet skit, a writing activity/drawing exercise, an arts-based activity (movement, dramatic role play, or drumming) and a song.  Our sixteen unique puppet characters, which were created specifically to represent the cultural demographics of the Capital Area urban public school districts and New York City public schools,  teach children important life lessons based upon the three key components. Each classroom participating in the SAFE through the arts program receives a CD of songs used in the program and a colorful SAFE through the arts handbook for each child in the class.
The sixteen unique characters are an integral part of the SAFE through the arts program. Through original songs and scripts, these characters teach children important life lessons. Word Bird teaches children how to use their kind and polite words; Charlie Chipmunk and Friendly Frog teach children how to use their “Happy Hands and Friendly Feet” at all times, and Teacher Beaver helps children discover their unique selves while getting along with others.
As a program of Azalea Blossom, Incorporated, an educational non-profit 501c3 organization, SAFE through the arts is currently a free service completely supported by grants and donations so cost need not be a concern for schools. In addition, SAFE through the arts programs take place in individual classrooms so space also need not be an issue.

Why the SAFE through the arts program is important:

Due to the extreme upheaval and chaos in our world and country at present, there has never been a greater need for bullying prevention education and the arts in our schools. Students from all backgrounds and cultures need to build their self-confidence as well as to learn tools to help them cope and thrive in an increasingly controversial society. Children who have experienced SAFE through the arts are more easily able to identify positive attributes within themselves than children from the similar demographics and cultural backgrounds who have not been participated in SAFE through the arts.

In addition, children who have participated in SAFE through the arts have are able to more easily able to employ their imaginations through dramatic role play and writing and drawing exercises in order to visualize themselves as  positively contributing members of our society in the future. Furthermore, students who have participated in SAFE through the arts are more aware of how to appropriately express their emotions towards others. They are also more likely to integrate the values of self-love, cooperation, accepting others who are different, speaking kindly to one another, and treating one another with respect and compassion. These are all important skills, which children when taught at a young age, will carry with them into adulthood.

Music has been proven to be an important tool for learning academic subjects including math. The incorporation of songs reaffirming the positive messages and key components of SAFE through the arts help to make the program effective. Also, music, along with the other art modalities integrated into the program, is an important tool for expression and creative problem-solving.

In addition, SAFE through the arts includes thirteen New York learning standards and many core curriculum requirements for PreK and kindergarten while also addressing character education requirements. The use of the multiple learning theory within the program ensures that each student, regardless of how they learn, will be able to absorb the vital life lessons taught during the SAFE through the arts program.