Will Power to Youth Richmond Stages Romeo and Juliet
On August 24, 2007, the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Endowment for the Arts hosted an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at the Firehouse Theater in Richmond, VA. The play was performed by at-risk high school youth from underserved communities enrolled in the Will Power to Youth program. OJJDP Administrator J. Robert Flores attended the event, along with Virginia's First Lady, Anne Holton, and Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell. Mr. Flores praised the youth for their dedication and skill in developing and performing the Shakespearean adaptation.
Will Power to Youth is an arts-based educational enrichment program that teaches job readiness skills and provides hope and tools to help at-risk youth living in poverty transform their lives. For a 7-week session, 20 to 30 young people hold paying jobs as part of the program. The participants form a creative team, working with professional artists and human relations facilitators to create an adaptation of a Shakespearean play that is relevant to, and inspired by, their personal experiences.
Will Power to Youth is one of several programs directed to helping at-risk youth supported by the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia through the Richmond Gang Reduction and Intervention Program (GRIP). Richmond GRIP is funded through a $2.5 million grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Directed and implemented by the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia, the program is a collaborative effort among the City of Richmond and Federal, state, and local partners. Its goal is to significantly reduce gang activity in targeted neighborhoods. GRIP program incorporates more than 40 programs focusing on the strategic areas of primary and secondary prevention, intervention, suppression and reentry.
Resources:
For further information about Will Power to Youth, visit http://www.shakespearefestivalla.org/education/will_power_to_youth.php.
For information about DOJ's Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative, visit http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/programs/antigang/.
And to learn more about the Richmond Gang Reduction and Intervention Program, visit http://www.oag.state.va.us/KEY_ISSUES/GANGS/Gangs_GRIP_Program.html.
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