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Educators for Empathy is our professional development program where we lead trainings for teachers who are interested in utilizing our curriculum and applying our techniques to their teaching practices. Our teaching artists also present aspects of our pedagogy at conferences on literacy and community arts.
As the flagship program of Bay Area Creative, SPARC poetry strives to create art communities in schools. SPARC Poetry has been teaching creative writing, stage performance, and social activism throughout the Bay Area. Nationally recognized artists run workshops in K-12 classrooms sharing their passion for performance arts, and inspiring youth to creatively address the world around them.
SPARC Poetry events both showcase the creativity fostered in the workshops, as well as connect other school programs and local community groups to celebrate all forms of art.
Spoken Works is our team building program where we offer spoken word poetry workshops to partner organizations and value-aligned companies. These team building workshops are a fun way for colleagues to connect on a deeper level, to air issues, and to uphold diversity and equity in the workplace.
The Berkeley Slam is the longest running poetry slam on the west coast. Bay Area Creative has supported The Berkeley Poetry slam as a funded project for three years. The slam is a transitional space where students who have graduated from our high school poetry workshops can continue to be mentored, write and perform in connection with one of the most prestigious spoken word communities in the world.
Revisions is our therapeutic arts program that draws on the narrative therapy approach to use spoken word poetry and other art forms to work with families, youth in detention, individuals in recovery, communities in abuse shelters. The staff of our Revisions program also advise our high school curriculum lessons dealing with more sensitive topics.