M Ensemble Company, Inc.
P.O. Box 1175MiamiFL33168305-891-2998

Program: Summer Youth Employment in the Arts and Life Enrichment Year Started: 1991 Focus: Theater Youth Served: 20 Ages: 13-19 Budget: $36,000 Discontinued There is a special place in Miami for African-American youth from low-income areas who have an interest in theater. The M Ensemble Company, which cultivates and preserves African-American culture through the performing arts, believes that youth are our future and that they need help developing self-esteem and coping skills. In response to this need, the Company formed the Summer Youth Employment in the Arts and Life Enrichment program to help keep African-American youth gainfully involved in theater. After passing an audition, teens receive professional training in acting, production and stagecraft. They help mount and act in a summer production. Teens are given roles to perform and receive individual counseling. Meditation, theater exercises and other activities help participants reflect on their lives and options. A program for juvenile delinquents also is conducted twice a week during the summer. Rappers, street dancers and other artists talk with youth about their own backgrounds, struggles and professional growth. Efforts are being made to extend these theater opportunities beyond the summer.