What does the All Stars Project do?
• It’s a non for profit organization that focuses on performance art to “promote human development”. The ASP (All Stars Project) created and sponsors out-of-school performing arts opportunities for poor and minority youths. It also sponsors community and experimental theatre and develops leadership/volunteer training and opportunities to build and strengthen communities.
What is the All Stars Project important?
• Attempts to address high school dropout rates and low school achievement in
the inner city
• It focuses on the achievement gap between ethnic minority students (whom the
foundation serves) and majority middle class students.
• Fills up large amounts of the youthʼs unsupervised time that might have been
spent getting into trouble.
•ASP is part of the supplementary education movement which is defined as
“informal and formal learning and developmental enrichment opportunities
provided for students outside of school and beyond the regular school day or
year.” These students do not have as many opportunities as the majority city
youth so ASP aims at giving them something extra.
• ASP relies on many different programs to reach out to underprivileged youth,
mainly the All Stars Talent Show Network: the ASTSW involves inner-city youth
(ages 5-25) in creating an performing weekend talent shows in their school
auditoriums. Anyone who auditions gets a part and the youth run every aspect
of the performance.
Additional Information
•The talent show was recently performed at Prospect Heights High School in
Brooklyn.
•The Castillo Theatre works with ASP in NYC to successfully run youth directed
productions.
• Another program in partner with ASP is the Joseph A. Forgione Development
School for Youth, a leadership training and career education program for youth
(ages 16-21). Its main goal is to recognize non-school related activities as
essential for healthy youth development.
•ASP has seven main divisions: ASTSN, DSY, Catillo Theatre, Talented Volunteers,
Development (fundraising), Finance, and Public Relations.
• The talent show is a huge part of ASP. The show is divided into 4 phases:
•(1) Street Outreach- Once a venue is found, recruitment begin. Flyers are
distributed and volunteers visit schools and communities to encourage young
people to sign up
•(2) Talent Show Audition-Youth go through the audition process to be in the final
production
• (3) Development Workshop-Youth work on skills such as group work, improv,
performance, etc. to build the tools they will need to eventually perform.
• (4) Talent show-Showtime! Students are in charge of every aspect of
production.
