In a time when children and adults are told their feelings don't matter, their stories don't count, and their differences make them "other" or "less than,"
Speaking Out Collective does the opposite
Why Now Matters:
Mental health crises among children and adults are at historic highs
DEI programs are being dismantled
Honest and equally representative history is being erased
Arts and education funding is disappearing
Children from marginalized communities are being told, once again, to be quiet
And we need your help to change it.
We use storytelling and puppetry to help children find their voices, whether they're navigating anxiety or ADHD, learning their family's history and immigration story matters, or discovering that being different is something to celebrate, not hide.
PreK-2 students learn it's okay to talk about big feelings, elders and students document and share untold histories of their communities. We're teaching critical literacy through the arts, and encouraging creative courage when what we hold dear is under attack.
Why should you give?
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✽ $25 once = class materials today and $25/month = a full residency and materials for a child this year + the security to plan ahead.
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✽ The price of a coffee/month gives us the stability to say YES when under-resourced schools & communities ask for help, even when funding disappears.
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✽ That kindergartener with the anxious puppet? She's learning she doesn't have to be quiet. That her feelings matter and she's fine as she is.
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✽ Students and teachers in classrooms and workshops discover that they're more alike than different, even when the world tells them otherwise.
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✽ All ages learn about local BIPOC histories from elders whose truth has been silenced or forgotten instead of printed in textbooks.
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✽ We speak and know truth to change our world, empower communities, and let children explore their own creativity and imagination.
LOVE OUR STORIES
See our work in action!
FAQs
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We serve up to 5,000 children and 2,000 adults each year.
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We actually work with schools, childcare and community centers, and domestic violence centers throughout Minnesota. However, we work most often in urban Twin Cities locations.
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We receive support from individual donors like you, foundations and government sources. Sometimes we’re able to charge for our shows, PD or workshops, but the bulk of our participants and partners live in impoverished neighborhoods where resources are tight or nonexistent. We try to raise as many dollars as possible to offer free programming.
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That’s easy. We believe in centering our critical literacy methodology in JOY. We’ve done our job when we see face light up with joy, excitement, wonder and promise.
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Theatre, art, music, dance… we’re all artists when given the opportunity to explore our own creativity. We’ve found that when you combine learning with the arts, comprehension and engagement significantly improve along with education outcomes.
