breaking walls is eager to have you join us on January 30th at 330 West 16th Street (Atlantic Stage 2) from 6:30-8:30pm.

We look forward to seeing our sponsors, partners, mentors, volunteers, and friends at this event.  Help us assure that our young artists and ambassadors are able to work as efficiently as possible as they explore how they can create social change in Warsaw, Poland.

RSVP to breakingwallspro@gmail.com by January 30th.  You can make your donation at http://breakingwallsprogram.org/donation/ , or make a cash or check contribution at the door.

For those friends that are unable to attend but would like to still make an impact for our 28 artists, ten ambassadors, and three associates, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution at http://breakingwallsprogram.org/donation/ before January 30th.

We will see you there!

2017 Warsaw will happen from July 5 through July 17, 2017. The 38 Breaking Walls participants from Barcelona, Berlin, Bethlehem, Brooklyn, Cape Town, Detroit and Warsaw will come together to write about issues of self awareness, freedom of expression and how to shape an accepting, peaceful world. Our signature initiative contains three distinct components: “Pen-to-Page-to-Stage”, peace maker training, and the opportunity to share life experiences as an ensemble. These components will culminate in a live theatrical performance for members of the Warsaw community. Additionally, we will contribute one full day of community service in Warsaw.

Our director/founder, Fran Tarr, is eager to share with you our “how-to-get-involved” information. Breaking Walls offers three levels of programming:

+ Our signature ten-day, holistic, value-based creative writing, performance and peacebuilding initiative. This initiative takes place in an international city. 2017 will see 28 artists, ten ambassadors and two associates in Warsaw, Poland from July 5 through 17.

+ Our five day Community-based initiative consists of the same focus and process of our signature initiative with an emphasis on bringing together divergent groups of young men and women within their community setting. Our international associates join the leadership team to expand the richness of the experience.

+ Our in-school Arts Education initiative serves as a platform for self-expression, community-building and enhancement of literacy skills within the classroom setting.

For the full information on how your child, community and/or school can participate contact Fran Tarr at breakingwallspro@gmail.com

As breaking walls grows, our director/founder, Fran Tarr, wants to share where we started with you:
Breaking Walls began with youth in Brooklyn, then went on to Bethlehem — pairing youth, who struggle with social unrest, intolerance, peer pressure and life in the real and the “virtual world,“ to establish a growing and enduring creative community. Since our 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016 initiatives in Berlin, Cape Town, Barcelona, and Detroit we are evolving from a homegrown Brooklyn solution for issues facing youth everywhere to a cohesive youth empowerment movement.
Breaking Walls fosters global dialogue among the leaders of tomorrow by creating artistic, educational and community-building opportunities for disenfranchised youth to become empathetic, system changing leaders. We are a non-profit, international initiative that empowers youth to discover their voice, and offers them a platform on which to use it. Breaking Walls engages and supports young people as they become creative artists and empathetic leaders who will actively advance personal transformation and social change on the global stage and within their home communities.
ONWARD to 2017 WARSAW

Please welcome all of our new Cape Town artists: Fazlin Abrahams, Carlin Bailey, Tercia-Lee Daniels, Lulutho Dumezweni, Jesse Griesel, Lina Heckscher, Julie Hemphill, Zennie Tiso Liyabona, Inga Lumkwana, Nkosinathi Luthuli, Lukhona Mapumulo, Lebo Mrwetyana, Nosibusiso Ncamazana Iron Ngwzca, Alexander Ringer, Jaden Samuels, Sabelo Siwa, Tamia Van Balla, Zean-Paul Van Westhuizen and Liam Weir. And a shout-out to our breaking walls associates Mohammad and Martha!

Biker GroupThe new breaking walls artists from the three divergent communities here in Cape Town send you their love and respect. We started just 12 short hours ago, and already deep, rich bonding is taking place.
The writing triggers this morning were “In My Neighborhood” and “A Day Without Hate”. These led to extraordinarily passionate writing. As Zennie for Phillippi Township finished sharing her “In My Neighborhood” piece, Jesse from the German International School, with total respect, said, “Zennie is so brave to stand and read first, and to be so honest about her life.”
As the new artists shared their “A Day Without Hate” writings, the phrases “Success is the best weapon against war” and “On a day without hate we will all welcome each other with open hands” resonated with each of our 20 of these amazing young men and women.
Mohammad, our Associate from Bethlehem, Palestine, and our Guest Director, Martha from Berlin feel more like U.N. Good Will Ambassadors every moment.
Today we started our rehearsal process. I must admit that choosing Martha (from Berlin) as our Guest Director is a stroke of genius. With our amazing Mohammad as my right hand man making every minute so much more successful what a lucky director/founder I am.I  wish you would have seen Mohammad this morning leading the group warm-up — what growth and presence this young man has made on our behalf.
Each new artist is working so hard to ensure that tomorrow’s performance makes a powerful impact on their audience. I may or may not have mentioned that we are including our first Special Needs artist in Cape Town. In addition to guiding three struggling/clashing groups of young men and women to success, we are embracing Liam. I mean that from the bottom of my heart — everyone has accepted and respected and watched for our dear Liam. His mom emailed us that she wanted to visit on Friday for rehearsal (Liam has never been away from home before this), and she did not arrive because she said she trusted breaking walls to keep him safe in every way after Liam called home with such happiness in his voice.
Wish all these bright, brave artists good luck on Saturday, please!

Our director/founder, Fran Tarr, is pleased to announce that breaking walls will premier its 2nd annual creative writing, performance and peace-building initiative October 5 through 9, in Noordhoek. In all, twenty-four young breaking walls artists from the Deutsche Internationale Schule Kapstadt, the Hout Bay High School of Hangberg, and the Rainbow Dreams Trust in Khayelitsha and Phillippi Townships will join together to express the strength and beauty of the human spirit, inviting the world to build on the platform they create with their voices, dreams, words and production skills.

During the five days of creative writing, performance and connecting with new places, new faces and unfamiliar cultures, breaking walls artists explore areas deep within themselves, enabling them to “see” they are not alone in their hopes for the future, nor in their fears. Their mission is a timely call to action for Cape Town and the world.

 

Imma really miss everyone. My Barcelona, Palestine, South Africa, and Detroit babies (oh and Virginia we’re always forgetting to mention him lol) Yall mean a lot to me in the short time we spent with each other. To start, my favorite part about the whole experience was staying at Ohana Gardens. I believe that it was a perfect place to cement our bonds because the Hoye Family is unified and loving, they eventually rubbed off on us. Mrs. Diane and her family are so luminous and welcoming its hard not to love em. Their hospitality was better than any 5 star hotel, if you’re heading to the Highland Park area I definitely recommend Ohana Gardens. Then everyone we met outside of Ohana was a bonus to the experience. Now to the fam. Everywhere we went we became the life of the party. Staying up till hours in the a.m to play WOLF, cutting each other 24/7, teaching each other about our homes and cultures, coming up with our codes and stuff (lololololololol), and KILLING OUR PERFORMANCE!! Yall got my heart, and I got your backs if needed. Whether or not we see each other again I’ll always be down for yall. This too much emotion for me so I’m out.

Dear 2016 artists, ambassador, associates and volunteers, So many good and beautiful thoughts race through my mind as I write these words. As each successive initiative closes I realize the ten-days we spend together as a creative community is a patchwork of tender, painful, joyous, funny, scary and sometimes tedious moments that draw us closer and make us stronger as individuals and as a movement. Yes, I do believe that after our experiences in Detroit we can absolutely say breaking walls is a movement thanks to the trust and love and talent each of you contributed. I am so proud to be your guide. All my love and respect.

As we say: ONWARD to Warsaw!

Group-Motown

20160712_082200“The writing workshops made me feel at peace because, I could open up and express myself.  I like the workshops because, in them I get the chance to learn from the other artists experiences.  I enjoy the rehearsals because, I feel joy and can see the progress in everyone.  I’m so excited to perform.”