::Teenagers and educators learn the power of language and personal expression through poetry, video, visual art, music and live performances.::

 “I always knew my students had much to share but I wasn’t aware of how talented and I always knew my students had much to share but I wasn’t aware of how talented and multi-faceted they were—in so many art-forms or how well they could present themselves—until VBB artists started working with them”
Anita Wadhwa, English Instructor, Lee High School

VBB strives to give voice to today’s at-risk youth by teaching them tools of artistic expression. Our goal is to empower youth so they can participate in social changes such as: lowering Houston’s high drop out rate, increasing literacy among low income students as well as students of color, and giving voice to teenagers affected by emotional trauma. We work with youth at many levels—in schools using non-traditional multi-disciplinary workshop structures, including them as performers and exhibitors in VBB’s regular season and as mentees so we can guide them toward higher learning through the arts.

Ultimately, our education programs seek to catalyze at-risk youth and students to question and better understand their place in the world, enabling them to navigate their lives with real and attainable skills as simple as listening, writing, and public presentation, and as powerful as the drive to succeed in a society dominated by groups other than their own.

VBB’s special multi-disciplinary workshops bring teenagers from different backgrounds and varying language proficiencies so together they can learn to use both written and oral language for better self-expression. Students gain self-confidence through concretely learning how to utilize multimedia technology. They learn the value of voice, improve literary and communication skills, while simultaneously developing performance and theater production skills.

Through VBB’s educational partnerships with schools and organizations (Furr, Lee and Sharpstown High Schools, PRH, and The Vietnamese Culture and Science Association), we teach students to share their journeys (via writing, visual art, body movement, music, audio, and video), then give them the skills to manifest these journeys for anthologies, visual art exhibitions and performances.

Over the past six years, VBB has published numerous youth anthologies and brought more than 200 students to the stage for full productions that are open to the general public. VBB is unique in its determination to give students opportunities and recognition equal to professionals, by giving teens equal billing at productions with more notable local, national and international artists such as Mango Tribe, Farnoosh Moshiri, Bapsi Sidhwa and others.

During the next year, 2007-08, VBB will initiate two new programs, teacher writing and trauma training workshops alongside student literacy workshops. All programs are designed to fit the needs of specific schools, students and demographics to ensure long-term change and to offer cohesive instruction.

VBB will also offer a new workshop funded by St Luke's Episcopal Health Charities' Healthy Neighborhood Initiative through which VBB artists will conduct writing workshops for seniors in Near Northside at the Wesley Community Center.