BOLD Gainesville rocks the high schoolers!

I'm rarely speechless, but I was after reading this feedback from BOLD Gainesville's recent performance of the play in front of over a hundred high school students and BOLD Red Tent with teenage girls and mothers.

BOLD Gainesville's organizer, Heddy Vernon shares:

BOLD Gainesville had an amazing experience bringing the message of BOLD and the stories of BIRTH to a local high school on Monday, May 18th. Loften High School is home to the ACCEPT program which focuses on pregnant teens and teen mothers, supporting them as they continue their education. Loften is the only high school in the area with an on-campus daycare for use by the students. The daycare is provided free of charge and cares for the children from the beginning to the end of a full school day. Loften is proud to have a very high breastfeeding rate and girls are called out of class to nurse their babies.

Girls from PACE were also invited to the performance. PACE is a community-based, gender-responsive prevention, diversion and early intervention program serving girls, ages 12-17. It is nationally recognized for helping girls find success in school, with their families and in their communities by integrating education, counseling, training and advocacy.

We had approximately 130 Loften students and 20 girls from PACE in our audience. The program ran in the morning for about an hour and a half. The audience laughed, shouted back at the treatment of some of the characters, and chanted MY BODY ROCKS throughout the play. They were engaged and moved. We were all moved too by the reactions of the audience. The air truly felt electric in that room.

After the performance, we had a local pediatrician and two childbirth professionals for our talkback panel. Students wrote down questions on index cards that ranged from 'What do they cut during an episiotomy?' to 'Can you really give birth in water?'. At one point someone said the way for a man's body to rock is to be supportive of his partner in birth and parenting and a number of young men in the audience stood up and applauded.

We held a private red tent for the girls from the ACCEPT and PACE programs. Lunch was provided and they were given the space to process and share their feelings on the play and their own birth experiences. It was a special bonding experience for both the girls and the cast. We were able to share our birth stories too and support one another with our experiences and thoughts. It was an energizing (and exhausting) day that reinforced in all of us the reason why we are part of this movement. It was powerful and beautiful!

And finally, some feedback from Liz Purdue, Director of ACCEPT:

"WOW!!!! What an incredible experience! My students are still talking about it! Thanks so much to you, the other cast members and the Red Tent coordinators for an outstanding event. I had so many positive comments from the ACCEPT girls, especially. They were touched that you made them feel so special."


For more info on BOLD Gainesville check them out here.