Girl Be Heard Summer Newsletter: We're excited to catch you up on all the latest that's been happening at Girl Be Heard!
Dear Friends,
Summer is in full swing, and we are thrilled that New York City is inching towards a future beyond the COVID pandemic. As more of us begin venturing outdoors and into new hobbies and happenings, Girl Be Heard continues holding space to nurture and amplify the voices of New York City youth through our programs and special projects.
Despite the challenges of the year, we successfully closed out the 2020-2021 program year with a series of superb, back-to-back performances in May and June. The Weekend Workshops of Brooklyn, Bronx, and Queens kicked off our performance season with a virtual showcase, Unplugged: At Home, which centered around the themes of identity and leadership. Soon after, the Manhattan Weekend Workshop cohort produced its end-of-year program, FemmeVision, a time-bending show (inspired by Marvel Studio’s WandaVision) that explored the different waves of feminism through history. This fascinating performance was followed by Girl Be Heard’s first full-length play and mainstage show, The People v. Justice. The People v. Justice was entirely conceived, written, and performed by GBH’s Company and provoked thought about the reality of how luck, law, and justice impact people in the margins. Our performance season culminated with Staging the Revolution featuring GBH’s after-school participants, and the inaugural documentary screening of the first-ever Girls Make Movies cohort.
Team Girl Be Heard is exceptionally proud of the incredible work and contributions of all of our dynamic artivists and participants. We are excited to see their work continue in this summers’ camps and workshops.
Your support means so much to us. Be sure to stay connected with us on all our social media channels! We look forward to sharing our growth and progress in the coming weeks as we plan for another successful year of creating art, building leaders, and seeking justice. Thank you for making the work possible.
Warmly,
Team Girl Be Heard
Participant Spotlight
Girl Be Heard participants are shining lights - and we are excited to spotlight a few who are currently enrolled in our programming! Our Teaching Artists share some wonderful reflections below:
Mercedes Modeste (GBH Trinidad and Tobago): Mercedes is not the dream Benz but she is driven by a dream to see young women dare to be. She lives in a world not only land and sea but “querer es poder” (if there's a will, there's a way) This girl hopes to take on a journey further than our reality for she thinks we’re all worthy of destination harmony. Mercedes is a sixth-form student of Bishop Anstey East High School in Trinidad.
Haley Lopes (Girls Make Movies): Haley is a Cape Verdean photographer born in Boston, MA currently based in Brooklyn, New York. Her practice is mostly based in photography but her passion for performance art has led her in the direction of film. The type of work that influences her is socially aware and honest in their experiences. She likes to create work that she knows is true in her experience, meaning-making something that feels authentic and not scripted. Much of it is self-reflective in the sense that she wants to portray sincere feelings. She tries to speak on and create things that will always have veracity to her in the hopes of making distinctive work. In doing this it almost helps her overcome her experiences with anxiety.
Kayla (Brooklyn Prep): We are grateful Kayla joined GBH at Brooklyn Prep halfway through this year! She is a multi-talented artist and brought lots of inspiration to the group as a writer, visual artist, filmmaker, and musician! She is a visionary and has many ideas for creative projects that I cannot wait to see one day! -TA Adriana
The People v Justice
If you missed the show or just want to watch it again click the button below. View the virtual program here. Huge shoutout to our hard-working cast that wrote this amazing play AND the original music!
Unplugged (At Home)
Celebrating GBH youth in a virtual showcase about identity & leadership! All of the theatrical work is written and performed by youth in Girl Be Heard programs where they share personal experiences and perspectives, write, laugh, listen, and build a supportive community of artists and activists.
Staging the Revolution (At Home)
Thanks for joining us for Staging the Revolution (At Home) 2021 on Friday, June 18th at 6pm for the premiere of our after-school program’s year-end performance! If you missed it or want to watch again click the button below.
Girl Be Heard Trinidad and Tobago's UnPlugged: Love and Unity
Watch the GBHTT participants perform their original pieces on self-love, self-care, togetherness, and celebrating diversity!
Girls Make Movies Screening 2021
See the short films made by GMM participants Brianna Blackett, Sheridan Cole, Zion Elle, and Haley Lopes.
Amplify #GBHNow!
On International Women's Day this year, we launched our latest global advocacy campaign: Girl Be Heard Now. Youth from around the country have been sharing how they use their voices and power to create change in their communities, and how they advocate for gender justice and equality - thus being leaders in their own right. You can sign-on to support the campaign or submit your entry to be highlighted as a leader on our social platforms via the link below.
GBH Merch: Tees, Totes & More!
Looking for a way to express your leadership and advocacy through your style? Check out our Girl Be Heard Merch Shop. Participants whose designs are used on our merch items receive a portion of every sale! All other proceeds go towards supporting our youth arts education programming in schools and community centers in NYC and beyond.
Building Youth Resilience & Staying Connected
We are honored and grateful for all of the support received from near and far throughout this very uncertain time. While we continue to expand in the virtual space, we invite you to help us stay as committed and connected to our youth as possible.
Small gestures like joining our monthly donor program or amplifying our work on social media allows Girl Be Heard to continue youth programming throughout NYC and beyond, thus transforming lives through social justice theatre-making and the arts. Learn more about our programs in our latest sizzle reel above!
Resources for Process + Reflection
Read
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
Feminism Is for Everybody by Bell Hooks
Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger by Rebecca Traister
Listen