Outreach Performance at Magnolia High School

[YAMikeK]

Well, for those of you who were able to attend, today's Outreach
performance at Magnolia High School was (as usual) inspiring and
uplifting! If you weren't able to attend, or don't know what I'm
talking about, the YAs do a project with Orange County Dept. of
Education's Safe School's Division called Outreach. The students in
this division are at-risk students, including homeless families,
teenage mothers, drug abusers, juvenile dentention and more. The YAs
visit four sites once a week for 10 weeks and today, all four sites
and 80 YAs came together for a culmination performance showcasing what
the students learned with the YAs during their workshops. To even
describe the effects this program has on its participants would be
insurmountable, but many of these students come from such negative
backgrounds that the effect of the YAs' positive energy is life-
changing.

Just imagine juvenile detention teenage guys singing and dancing along
kindergarten-age kids from the homeless shelter, with music including
dance styles throughout the years to a singer-songwriter medley ending
with "Bridge Over Troubled Water." It was, as I previously mentioned,
inspiring and uplifting!

For those of you that were there, I'm sure tears were shed; for those
that weren't able to make it, we'll keep you updated so hopefully you
can attend the next one.

Mike Krauss
NK' 98