Inspiring Caring School Environments: How theatre adds value to bully-prevention efforts in elementary schools

Since 1985, Kaiser Permanente Colorado's Educational Theatre Programs have used theatre to enlighten and challenge student audiences to make positive, healthy choices on relevant issues for youth. In recent years, cultivating a caring environment for all students has become a pervasive concern among school communities. Consistently, the Educational Theatre Programs have received requests from administrators and teachers desiring a program with innovative and effective strategies to address bully prevention. In early 2009, Choose Your Life, a live action, interactive play created and performed by professional actors from Kaiser Permanente Colorado's Educational Theatre Programs, was developed to inspire upper elementary students to choose safe and respectful strategies to stop instances of harassment and bullying among their peers. Choose Your Life is performed in the context of larger school prevention initiatives and utilizes educational content from the evidenced-based Olweus Bully Prevention Program, translating messaging into youth-friendly, practical concepts. When theatre is used as a method for educating elementary students about bully prevention, what impact does it have on building a safer school environment? This presentation will assess the impact of the Choose Your Life program through: data tracked for variation in bullying incidences at schools with and without a Choose Your Life performance (N= 6 schools); pre, post and follow-up student surveys examining knowledge change and retention in 300 4th grade students; a demonstration of the educational and theatrical methods used in Choose Your Life through performance samples; and qualitative evidence of the play's efficacy through teacher observation (N=30 teachers).