Category: Events

This month, the AFG After-school Program held its annual year end finale. Held at AFG, the event was for the family and friends of the girls in the program. The evening included dance performances, handmade ice cream from the elementary group, awards for the parents, and a celebration of the girls’ achievements throughout the year.

AFG’s After-school Program aims to keep girls engaged in school by supporting their academic success through a variety of workshops. The program provides homework help, educational workshops, and leadership development. It also offers chances for girls to express their creativity through activities they may not otherwise have the chance to participate in, such as dance classes, arts & crafts projects and more.

Learning to Grow

For four months, the middle school group studied Mexican Folklórico dance with America Del Real, of The Raiz Up hip-hop and cultural collective. To prepare for their finale performance, the young women dressed in traditional clothing and got their hair and makeup done by two volunteers. They performed two dances, “Las Chiapanecas” and “El Aguila Blanca”. After each dance, the girls were met with a standing ovation and praises from the crowd.

The high school group performed an original dance routine they choreographed with Sarah Guilmette, Artistic Director of Full Circle Dance Company. Although the interpretive dance was new to Sarah, the group worked together to create a beautiful and moving performance.

The elementary group used their science and business skills to help give back to the community. The group set up a station where they sold homemade ice cream sundaes. The money raised will be used to complete a Hashtag Lunchbag project, where the girls will make bagged lunches with inspirational messages and pass them out to those experiencing homelessness in the community. The girls hand shook each batch of ice cream, filled them to the brim with toppings, and served each sundae with a huge smile!

Celebrating Accomplishments

During the awards presentation, two parents were given special awards to honor them for their volunteerism and assistance with programming. The two mothers were presented with flowers and were thanked by staff and girls in the programs through a big round of applause. Finally, the girls and young women received their own awards, to recognize them for their hard work and growth throughout the year. Each girl received their certificate with pride. Whether it was improving their grades, making a new friend, or learning something new; they all had something to be proud of this year.

“I loved performing and showing off our ideas to the audience,” Guadalupe smiles. Since the beginning of our Prevention Department’s After-school Program (ASP) in October, the elementary, middle, and high school groups have been participating in on-site workshops with the Matrix Theatre Company. Also located in southwest Detroit, the Matrix Theatre Company teaches, creates, and shares theatre as an instrument of transformation. The Matrix School of Theatre offers workshops for youth between the ages of 5-18 in play writing, puppetry, and performance. The workshops allow a safe space for youth to voice their opinions, tell their story, create their own solutions and empower them by allowing the youth to express themselves by using their own words, self-confidence, and imagination.

For a month leading up to the performances, Matrix worked with each ASP group to create their own original performance and provide them with an introduction to acting and play writing concepts. During the workshops, Matrix started by talking with the girls about the issues that they are currently dealing with and then built the story or performance from there. “My favorite part was writing our performance because everyone’s ideas were crazy and I like them,” Guadalupe, who performed with the middle school group, shared. “Everyone just called out their ideas and then we voted on whose we liked the best,” she continued. From these discussions, the groups came up with performances on the topics of bullying, making positive choices, and self-empowerment.

After they wrote their acts, the girls then learned acting and theatrical concepts that would help them perform their pieces. “We learned to always be dramatic, to never turn our backs to the audience, how to walk on stage, and so many other things!” Jamiah, another middle school group participant, shared. “And we learned about the four brothers of movement, the different parts of the stage, and how to move on the stage,” Guadalupe added.

Once the performances were written and the girls had practiced their new skills, it was show time! On November 19^th, all three groups performed their original performances for their family and friends right here at AFG. “My favorite part was performing,” Jamiah shared, smiling. “I helped make up the dance we did to “Thriller” and it was really fun.” The middle school group’s performance included a lot of improvisation and an interactive story line that allowed the audience to join in on the fun!

Not to be outdone, the elementary group added Spanish to their performance on the topic of bullying to help the girls and audience members who are bilingual feel more comfortable. Lastly, the high school group put on a moving performance about self-empowerment filled will positive affirmations. “I affirm that I am beautiful” and “I will be proud of who I am and where I am now” were just a few highlights from their performance.

With smiles on their faces, each girl took a bow and then rushed to talk to their parents, siblings, and friends about their performance. Their enthusiasm and joy told the story of their new love for theater.

Alternatives For Girls would like to thank the Matrix Theatre company for their time and support while teaching their workshop!