Jan Humarang
DARE Project: Examining the Landscape of Performing Arts Initiatives for Children and Youth
Program(s) of Study: Children, Childhood and Youth
Project Supervisor: Abigail Shabtay
My experience during the DARE program is helping me achieve my career goals by further inspiring my desire to apply to graduate school. I entered my undergraduate degree in Children, Childhood and Youth Studies with the goal of becoming a public school teacher. While I would still like to pursue this career, I also want to continue learning through research as to further encourage educational and programming systems on how to better support youth.
Project Description:
The Child, Youth, and Performance Conference is an annual event that drama researchers, artists, and practitioners attend to share their knowledge about how performing arts initiatives and tools can be uniquely situated to support young people. In preparation for the conference, I attended many online meetings with the presenters to help prepare the equipment and materials needed for their sessions. I used the notes that were gathered from these meetings to talk with partnered organizers to discuss the set up of the conference building spaces. Working directly with both presenters and organization staff had allowed me to be heavily involved in supporting workshops during the conference, which were designed as a participatory mode of dissemination. I also attended a variety of panels and case study presentations that examined the uses of performing arts in work with youth. Actively conversing with presenters and attendees throughout my involvement in the conference has broadened my perspectives on how the performing arts support young people and empower their agency.The Dean’s Award for Research Excellence (DARE) - Undergraduate enables our students to meaningfully engage in research projects supervised by LA&PS faculty members. Find out more about DARE.