What do Hunter’s Lane High School, Nashville School of the Arts, Middle College High School and Martin Luther King Magnet School have in common??? Teens on the Block!!
Over the summer a group of dynamic, curious and wonderfully talented high school students approached STARS stating: “We want to learn the puppets!” The timing was inspired. STARS had been seeking ways to engage more teenagers through our Kids on the Block program and suddenly here was a group of adolescents demanding to be a part of it. WE WERE THRILLED.
When asked what social topic they would like to see represented in the menu of presentations, they unanimously decided gang awareness. They all took home copies of our gang awareness script (which had been dormant for years) and offered their opinions on ways for the script to be more current, more hip. Their input has been invaluable.
They quickly named their group Teens on the Block (TOB) and meet on a weekly basis to learn the art of puppetry in order to educate elementary students on the dangers of gangs. In fact, they are scheduled to debut at a local after-school sites in Spring 2012.
