NCJ Number
209492
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 67 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2005 Pages: 124-126
Date Published
April 2005
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of the Shakespeare Appreciation Project operated in Minnesota for incarcerated juvenile offenders.
Abstract
The Shakespeare Appreciation Project for incarcerated juvenile offenders was proposed, designed, implemented, and evaluated by the project leader, who is an actor active in the local theater community. The project was introduced to juvenile offenders at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Red Wing with the intent that after experiencing the program, these juveniles would grow to appreciate Shakespeare’s plays as a recreational opportunity. In addition, they would benefit from being offered an opportunity to learn something new, exhibit nonviolent behavior in a positive, risk-taking activity, develop abstract reasoning skills, and gain affirmation. Activities for the classes were developed to teach Shakespeare in a fun, active, and approachable way with each class including creative activities, a history snapshot, a text snapshot, a scene snapshot, and a video pick of a scene used in the scene snapshot. Program evaluations were given to juveniles and the recreation director during the last Shakespeare class. The evaluations showed positive results with 70 percent of the juveniles indicating that they knew very little or nothing about Shakespeare before the program. Students indicated that they enjoyed or highly enjoyed the class. Recommendations are presented and discussed based on the evaluations received. Overall, the Shakespeare Appreciation Project was a positive experience for this group in Minnesota. Endnotes