Defining success in a way that is meaningful to participants and also to outside funders and supporters can be a challenge for many groups. Laugher For A Change partnered with Ph.D. student Laurel Felt and the PLAY!
participatory learning project at USC to conduct research on the educational benefits of improv comedy. For them, teaching media skills is not only about possible professional development for people who want to go on and work in theater, it is about the individual transformations participants and communities have through making laughter together. Ed Greenberg and Laurel Felt co-authored an academic paper that documented how a Laughter For A Change after-school program at an urban Los Angeles high school "provided youths with a safe space to build trust, explore identity, learn along with peers and adults, develop theatrical skills, and grow as individuals and
citizens," all in the context of play.
Laughter For A Change improv workshops create a safe space, where participants are free to act out anxieties and to make mistakes without judgement. Being able to play and move both others and yourself to laughter helps people who are constantly marginalized to build their self-confidence. The workshops also give space for
story-telling across groups, be they of age, gender, ethnicity, and so forth, highlighting stories and experiences that are shared.
If you're interested in learning more about Laughter For A Change, please contact Ed at
Ed@laughterforachange.org.
Contributed by Samantha Close on 5/10/14Laughter for A Change Media