
Practice Makes Perfect
The SEL Blog
¡Óyeme!, which means “hear me” in Spanish, was launched in 2014 when a wave of unaccompanied minors arriving in the DC, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area made the region one of largest areas of resettlement by people fleeing violence in Central America, second only to Los Angeles. In collaboration with community partners, IStage crafted a workshop series for migrant youth to help them process their experiences and find connections in their new community through theatre activities. The sessions are designed to be developmentally appropriate, culturally-based and trauma-informed. ¡Óyeme! helps young people with adjusting to life far from family, learning a new language, fitting in with other students, and developing positive relationships. The initiative also encourages engagement and conversation across many groups in a community. Through this project, IStage and DCPS will offer ¡Óyeme! educational workshops in the form of residencies at three campuses with large immigrant populations. In addition, students at the three schools will collaborate with award-winning playwright, Miriam Gonzales, to create a new play based on the real-life experience of migrant youth. A pilot version of the play will debut in April 2022. The fully developed production will tour DCPS campuses in Fall 2023.
FILTER STORIES BY:


Luke Midnight-Woodward
A central strategy of Pa’lante Restorative Justice (RJ) Program’s work to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline has been the development of... October 2021Read Story
Laura Grace
As Buddy Circles were born out of a naturally occurring conversation between peers who were able to express themselves without... October 2021Read Story
Katherine Batty
The "Empower Youth Leadership Project'' provides opportunities for Vermont middle school students to become SEL Leaders. Full-day conferences bring together... October 2021Read Story
Julie High
The Azusa Youth Empowerment Project is designed to build AUSD’s capacity to integrate and sustain CRE training and peer mediation... October 2021Read Story
James Peerson
In the years since the initiation of our “SEL Drum Circle,” we have helped students form positive, supportive relationships with... October 2021Read Story
Jaime MacEwen
“Thinking Outside the Classroom: Integrating Adventure Education at Cumberland Regional” will support the development of SEL awareness and competencies in... October 2021Read Story
Jabaria Dent
Abbie's Girls is a mentoring program for girls that focuses on helping them clarify their values as young women while... October 2021Read Story
Hope Hanscom
Mashpee Public Schools' (MPS) Portrait of a Graduate states that all MPS graduates will be purposeful communicators and collaborators, engaged... October 2021Read Story