Sulma Arzu-Brown was a very shy 12 year old girl who had never left her South Bronx neighborhood. Like many children in our programs, when Sulma arrived at ATW she didn’t see herself as a leader and didn’t know what steps to take to improve her life and her community. Then she came to our program, which has changed the lives of thousands of at-risk and homeless youth for over 28 years. By the time she graduated from ATW’s drama program, Sulma had found her voice and gained a foundation for future success.
Today, Sulma is a nationally recognized author and stands as a progressive voice for her community in the South Bronx. She has created what she describes as a “beautiful life” with her wonderful husband and two curious and articulate daughters. And she credits her success to the lessons she learned from ATW’s Artistic Director and Founder Thurman E. Scott. Click here to hear more about Sulma’s experience.
I came from all the noise to a safe haven. Thurman [E. Scott] saw who I really was and gave me that voice and power to say, ‘Sulma, you can change the world.’ From that moment on my voice mattered.
Sulma Arzu-Brown, BNW alumna, nationally-acclaimed author, and Director of Operations at the NYC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Many of our graduates have overcome extraordinary circumstances and found success in positions such as fashion designers, social workers, musicians, and teachers. Over the years, countless young adults have come back to visit our theatre and share the difference we made in their lives.
For over 28 years, the Actors Theatre Workshop (ATW) has guided and taught some of the most vulnerable young New Yorkers through our award-winning Builders of the New World program, created especially for children dealing with the tremendous instability of living in temporary housing facilities.
The Builders of the New World program provides arts and civics education to 4th – 6th graders living in temporary housing over 20 Bronx homeless facilities, and brings them together with trained, loving mentors from diverse backgrounds to activate their leadership and give them the tools to shape the world they want.
ATW founder Thurman E. Scott believes that creativity is the great equalizer and adapted his original theatre techniques to provide the foundation for our life-changing Builders of The New World program. Children learn to strengthen their imaginations, develop a vision of their future success, and take tangible educational steps today to achieve their dreams for tomorrow. Our process takes children through the creative steps of visualizing and describing places they have never been and actions they can only imagine, and then exercising those same creative skills to imagine and plan for the future they wish to create.
ATW’s staff and a diverse group of volunteer mentors help create a warm, stable, and homelike environment for the children where they meet new friends and enjoy delicious meals, courtesy of top NYC restaurants in our welcoming theatre facility.
Builders of the New World explores three main topics through original theatre and education techniques that improve their reading, writing, and presentation skills. They learn to have an intention in life, and draw and write about their visions for the future.
We create a loving yet disciplined environment with high expectations for each child. They learn they’re never too young to confront and overcome obstacles in their way. By seeing how Mr. Scott and their mentors believe in them, they begin to believe they can participate in society, improve their lives, and succeed.
We teach the children that they must work to bring service to their community, by leading, voting, organizing and participating in our democracy. They learn how to present themselves at job interviews, and to approach institutions – banks, city council, the police – upheld by community support for their ideas.
The children rehearse their original monologues, and then have the unforgettable experience of presenting their visions to an invited audience of family, friends, and important NYC business, government, and educational leaders. This graduation is a life-changing experience for the students and their mentors.
These invaluable experiences let the children see first-hand their power to make an impact in the world. They learn they can be seen — an idea that strikes at the heart of homelessness, which can be an existential struggle of invisibility.
By the time the children graduate, they have fully embraced their new mantle as Builders of the New World. These proud, confident, and poised young leaders have developed inspiring visions for the future and, most importantly, gained the tools to make an impact in the world and achieve their dreams.
Nearly 10,000 young people have been transformed into community builders through this program. Will you help support the next 10,000?
When our children walk through ATW’s doors, not only do they benefit from life-changing theatre and education classes, they start to feel a sense of ownership of one of NYC’s cultural institutions during a time where their lives contain uncertainty and instability. And you can be a central part of the transformation they will experience by volunteering with us. Your presence, belief, love, compassion, and support can transform uncertainty into opportunity!
ATW launched Builders of the New World in 1995 as part of a joint initiative of the NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs, Dept. of Homeless Services, and Board of Education.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and by public funds from the New York City Department Of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
The Actors Theatre Workshop is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax exempt organization. EIN: 13-3593882 © 2023-2024 The Actors Theatre Workshop. All rights reserved.
