The Other Side Intercultural Theatre, Inc

MISSION

We create a cross-cultural exchange of dramatic storytelling amongst girls, supporting their common experience, inspiring leadership, and developing community.

VISION

A safe space for girls in underserved communities to advocate for themselves and support each other.

NEED

Around the world, girls in underserved communities often share similar challenges relating to education, personal autonomy, and future employment. Negative messages in society inhibit our participants’ ability to realize their own power and capacity for success, particularly during their vulnerable adolescent years. 

IMPACT

In our program, participants are given the tools to express themselves and build camaraderie with classmates in their own community and abroad. Our students often express how storytelling through the arts has boosted their confidence and self-esteem. 

HOW WE DO IT

The Other Side utilizes a unique pedagogy to realize its vision. We create a safe space with small group sizes, ranging from five to fifteen participants, who regularly meet with a mentor from their community. Groups are paired across countries and share their personal narratives through drawing, writing, playmaking, and theatre games. They follow the same thematic units, including identity building, dismantling stereotypes, and exploring issues within their own communities, allowing them to relate to other cultures as well as their own. We use a teaching approach which is focused on the individual creative process of each student and end the semester with a showcase of their work.