TruExpansion Foundation Empowers Youth Across Texas
Students arrive early for the spring youth program. Teens patiently congregate in the waiting area of the Bishop Arts Theatre Center for classes to begin. This week students were busy preparing and completing the STAAR, a series of state-mandated standardized tests used in Texas public primary and secondary schools. Test can take up to 4 hours to complete leading to long school days but that didn't stop students from attending the five week program.
Each class starts with a review of the time management statement. The program teaches the benefits to arriving early for appointments and interviews. Before going into the course lessons students recite together TruExpansion Foundation's Gold Standards of Excellence to help raise their personal and professional bar and set the tone for high expectations in each child.
Teens learn team building skills through interactive, fun exercises and they learn professional etiquette. Our empowerment coach teaches methods and strategies to help develop success habits early in life. She teaches students to identify their strengths and build on them in ways that will support them and move them forward.
Students learn success principles to apply in life and how to positively impact the world around them. The program also teaches wellness practices to help boost and maintain good health and help cope with stress and anxiety.
The Director of Education, Sergio Garcia of the Bishop Arts Theatre Center facilitated the collaboration with TruExpansion Foundation. The two organizations partnered together to incorporated the youth empowerment curriculum into the current spring theater program to focus on the social and emotional components in youth. Students also learned theater production, stage lighting, presentation skills and effective business and life skills. This powerful partnership has been a great success and receives rave reviews from parents and students who have participated.
"What a blessing it has been for them to be able to go through the TruExpansion classes and even more, learning from Ms. Tawanna Rucker! She is truly AMAZING! She has taught them many life coping skills," says a mother with two daughters in the program.
TruExpansion Foundation offers ongoing youth empowerment classes in Dallas and Denton County. To register your child for our next program click here. For additional information, please email us at info@truexpansion.org.
