ACT LIKE A GRRRL!
Act Like A GRRRL 2008 will be held Monday - Friday, June 2-27 (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
At The Actors Bridge Studio at the Neuhoff Site in Germantown, Nashville
Public Performances are planned for the evenings of June 26 and 27
Tuition for the 4 week program is $500.
A limited number of need-based scholarships are available.
To apply, fill out the online form in the box on the right.
Once we review your application, we'll call to schedule an interview!
Please note that you must be available for the entire month of June (M-F; 9-3)
to be eligible for ALAG.
What is a GRRRL?
GRRRLs are strong, independent, and creative young women (age 12-17) with something to say! GRRRLs express their thoughts and feelings on the page and then take it to the stage. They listen to what other GRRRLs have to say, dream big, and take action together to change their world for the better!
GRRRL-STORY:
Founded in 2005, ALAG is an annual, four-week, autobiographical writing program for girls aged 12-17 offering the space and support for young women to gain a public voice, work with professional female mentors in a variety of creative fields, and foster friendships with peers from diverse backgrounds. Rooted in the exercise of writing to articulate one's personal experiences and beliefs, the program is augmented by guest artist workshops in performance, dance, and multicultural studies. The experience culminates in a public performance conceived, created, and enacted entirely by the GRRRLs themselves!
Why we're acting like GRRRLs:
"Numerous studies have shown that when they hit adolescence, formerly assertive, confident, healthy girls begin to change. They stop excelling in math and science courses, they develop eating disorders and anxieties about their bodies, and many become depressed or engage in cutting, binge drinking, and other self-destructive activities; in short, they begin conforming to the demands of a culture that is often hostile to them. ALAG creates a place for girls to express themselves, to practice speaking out and learning what they have to say, to practice being strong and loud, to practice taking up space. ALAG introduces the girls to strong women--through readings and through guest lectures--who make healthy decisions about their own lives and bodies. ALAG also gives girls the tools to analyze critically the culture in which they live so that they become active change agents rather than passive recipients of cultural messages. ALAG celebrates girls' strength and girls' voices and by so doing, promotes girls' leadership.
-- Dr. Alison Piepmeier, Director of Women's Studies at the College of Charleston & 2005 ALAG Co-Director
What our GRRRLS are saying:
"ALAG is a program that focuses on raising girls' awareness of their bodies, themselves, their beauty and their relation to the world. Through introspective writings, dance, art , music, poetry and performance, ALAG teaches girls how to think for themselves and take charge of their lives in the spirit of the women who lead them, filling them with heart and soul for the journey ahead."
-- ALAG 2007 GRRRLS' collaborative mission statement
What Moms are saying:
"Act Like a Grrrl has, quite simply, changed my daughter’s life… helping her find a path that is meaningful and true. She loves who she is now, as well as the woman she will be. More young women should have the opportunity to participate in programs like this; it’s been a wonderful experience for our family."
"This experience of working with girls both older and younger is community at its best sharing, writing, working, and playing. She loves to write and part of that emerged from the experience of ALAG."
"I can tell you, without any hesitation, that this experience has changed and shaped the destiny of my daughter in nothing but the most positive ways. At 15 years of age, she possesses not only a healthy self-confidence, but a remarkable understanding of the wisdom and beauty and challenges of girls and women all over the world. More importantly, she has been imbued with a desire to be an agent of change, to better herself, and in some way, to help build a better world."
"Act like a grrrl has given my daughter confidence to be herself and to value who that is and to walk to the beat of her own drum rather than following other drummers….It is so unique, she has met girls unlike any she has met anywhere else, and these girls have inspired her, and the adult mentors have also become very important to her. It is also helpful to me to know there are strong female voices for her to listen to and hear when she is not in the mood to hear mine."
For more information, contact: Jessika Malone, ALAG Co-Leader
