Today we’d like to introduce you to Marvinetta Woodley-Penn.
In October 1999, Marvinetta and Debra L. Harris planted seeds for a program targeting girls of color which would equip them with essential skills many “old-fashioned” mothers instinctively taught. Opal Walker, one of the first advisers, thought that global awareness and world travel should be included and offered the name, “Global Girls.”
Founded in 2000, Global Girls, Inc. is a performing arts organization based on the south side of Chicago engaging youth of color, ages 6 to 14, in arts education and presentation opportunities. They provide four core services to program participants and for the south side community: 1) graduated skill-building performing arts training, 2) social/emotional skill development, 3) story/drama creation based on first-person narratives using the participatory theatre model, and 4) performance experience.
Through rigorous theatre and dance training, participants develop essential life skills including self-awareness, resilience, tenacity and grit – skills which help them succeed on stage and in life. They also investigate their issues and turn findings into “socially-conscious, youth-driven theatre”.
Global Girls’ mission is to equip girls of color with performance skills that nurture their individual growth and inspire them to use their talents for positive change in their communities and beyond. Their community theatre group, Global Girls Theatre Collaborative (GTC), creates and stages original theatre that unpacks, challenges and heals.
Adults and youth workshop original plays at their location, The Global Studio, and perform them for audiences in their space and in various venues around Chicago and throughout Illinois. Springing from first-person narratives, their shows confront issues of racial injustice, HIV/STI education, domestic and dating violence, adultism, teen pregnancy, sexual abuse, social media, street harassment and more.
GTC members travel to other countries and teach other girls how to craft and stage their stories. They’ve worked with groups of girls in Accra, Ghana; Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya; Tamil Nadu, India and Grenada, West Indies. The India and Grenada arts exchanges were funded through the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur International Connections program. The exchanges begin with creating a safe space so that girls can open up and share their stories.
Every session in every program offers youth opportunities to “check in” and share what’s on their minds. Topics and issues that arise during check-in might become fodder for improvisations and dances.
Additionally, the sessions include acting lessons, self-efficacy lessons and at the sessions’ end, reflection. In the first few sessions of a program, the focus is on self-awareness, group culture and team building as the ensemble takes on a personality.
Next, dance and acting lessons are introduced. The latter sessions are devoted to rehearsals as the performance date nears. Youth also help create marketing materials, advertise shows and work backstage. At all levels and in every program, youth are trained as peer educators. In the school-based programs, Teaching Artists assign session leader roles to girls who demonstrate leadership skills.
They also encourage more reticent girls to step outside their comfort zones and try the leader role. Girls who exhibit accelerated skills and maturity are trained as performers to replace those who graduate from high school and move away from Chicago. If girls remain in Chicago, they graduate to perform in the adult theatre group or work with Global Girls as teaching artists.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
One of the struggles occurred when the co-founder left the organization in 2001. We made a major change in the program focus and directed all of our energies toward the performing arts. Another bump came in 2015 when the economy changed and our income plummeted. We turned to performances as an income generating resource. That too turned out to be a huge plus for us. We’ve learned to convert challenges into opportunities.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Global Girls, Inc. story. Tell us more about the business.
We are most proud of giving youth a safe place where they can learn skills to use their voices and trust that small, inner voice guiding them toward their bliss. We take great pride in our girls and young men when they step on stage with all the confidence and skill of professionals and say their truth – what’s in their hearts.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck has had nothing to do with any of this. I don’t believe in luck. I believe in dreaming big, bold dreams, believing in those dreams, working deliberately and loving every step of the way.
Pricing:
- Our summer camp is $150 for seven weeks of camp Monday – Friday, 9 am until 3 pm. Meals and performance training included. Field trips are extra
- The fall after school block is $100 sessions are Monday – Friday, 3 pm until 6 pm. Meal and homework help included
- The spring after-school block is $100 sessions are Monday – Friday, 3 pm until 6 pm. Meal and homework help included
Contact Info:
- Address: 8151 S. South Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60617 - Website: www.globalgirlsinc.org
- Phone: 7739022359
- Email: info@globalgirlsinc.org
- Facebook: globalgirls
- Twitter: globalgirls
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