In a year-round program, Fools Company's Artsworker Apprentices exposes teens to the performing arts. Teens are referred by community organizations and schools and learn about the program through public service announcements or by word-of-mouth. Participants attend free 2-hour workshops once a week and learn about performance and production. Additionally, by helping the Company with its mailings and fund-raising efforts, they also learn about arts administration. Workshops are complemented by the Company-sponsored International OFFestival, which is staged several times a year and exposes youth to contemporary performances by artists from around the world. Visiting artists conduct the regular workshops during the weeks they are at the Festival, and the teens help with the Festival's administrative and technical needs. As participants build their job skills, they can work part time with Fools Company or with other artists who perform in the Company's theater space. "The kids are gaining knowledge about jobs in the performing arts and are increasing their general job skills," says Executive Director Jill Russell. "They are showing heightened self-confidence and an increased ability to articulate and express themselves."