Five months from now, 50 DC teens will fill the three studios of our Atlas location five days a week in Step Ahead, our summer job skills and dance intensive program.
For now, however, five dedicated Step Ahead alumnae are already gathering in a Think Tank to discuss how we can work together to make the program even better. The Think Tank’s first focus group on January 21st focused on planning activities for the 2012 summer program. Our Outreach Manager Quynn Johnson recruited Nnedimma, Amelia, Antoinette, Tekia, and Ke’Asiah and facilitated the process. Some of the activities the group agreed were important were the team building exercises, seeing live shows, and tweaking the lunch schedule.
Step Ahead is framed on principles of youth development, such as giving youth voices and choices in their programming. “The Think Tank is a great way to have a youth voice in the program,” says Quynn. “We’re always looking to innovate and best meet the needs of our participants. The Think Tank helps guide those decisions and is crucial to making the program a success year after year.”
The next Think Tank in February will focus on an overall theme and project for the summer. If you are a Step Ahead alum, or just a fan of the program, go ahead and like us on Facebook to stay in the loop!
