Dear Friends of PVTC,
Today, we want to talk with you about the value of long-term growth.
One of the most unique features of PVTC is that we work with participants over many years. For some, this starts as young as preschool or kindergarten and goes all the way through high school or beyond. For others, PVTC appears somewhere in the middle of their creative journey. People of all ages join the program, including a community of adults who have come to see PVTC as their artistic home. The result is long-term relationships that last five, ten, or even thirty years!
When a person is part of a creative organization over time, something special happens. Not only do they develop confidence and a unique voice, but they also begin to do so within a community they know and trust. This foundation allows artists young and old to take risks that feel safe and thereby grow not just as artists, but also as people. And there are ample anecdotes and science to back up these observations. Earlier this fall, the New York Times published an op ed entitled “Grown-Up Theatre Kids Run the World.” Journalist Madison Malone Kircher reports on the theatrical youthful theatre affinities of the likes of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, and Senator Ted Cruise, each of whom has spoken on-record about the positive impacts of theatre in their lives. The Arts Education Partnership has compiled a series of studies that report benefits of theatre education such as “Develops Self-Concept and Identity,” “Improves Peer Relations and Empathy for Others,” and “Transforms Learning Across Subject Areas,” all of which become all the more meaningful when practiced in a particular community over the long-haul.
Part of what’s so unique about PVTC’s commitment to long-term growth is that our staff and teaching artists return year after year to continue to invest not only in their students’ growth, but also in their own. When you donate to PVTC, you allow a teaching artist to be paid a competitive wage here in the Bay Area, which allows for retention of talented and passionate artist-educators. The lasting result is longer-term commitment to the organization by valued employees and therefore deeper opportunities for student development. Relationships between teachers and students often turn into meaningful mentorships of passion projects, recommendation letters for high school and college admission, and professional mentorships for high school interns and early career professionals.
Please give today to support the teachers and staff who are committed to long-term artistic & personal growth at PVTC.
-The PVTC Staff and Board