“The guys are all men but have the mindset of middle school students when it comes to trying new things. Wild Space teaching artists have made it so welcoming for the guys to break out of their normal routine of playing basketball and watching videos. They have provided an opportunity to try something different in a safe space.” - Program Supervisor, Racine Youthful Offenders Correctional Facility

“Some days I would take longer to stretch because the inmates would mention how nice it felt to simply stretch their bodies. After each class, they would each write a quick reflection on one thing that they enjoyed and one thing that was a challenge. Some of them would say how nice it was to just move around and be out of their cell. I am glad I was able to provide them an outlet to move their bodies, write out their thoughts, and be creative.” - Dance Teacher

“The only change in behavior I hoped to see for these individuals was an increased sense of self-worth/self-compassion and confidence in taking up space and I feel as though the participants behavior towards the end of the residency did reflect a sense of newfound confidence and comfort in themselves. I believe the behavioral progression demonstrated by these students did, in fact, illustrate a change in what they believe to be ‘acceptable’ or ‘good’ behavior within a creative setting- which is exactly what I had hoped to help them explore.” - Dance Teacher

“Similarly to the way I attempted to shift a goal of self-discipline into a goal of self-compassion for this group, I also worked hard to cultivate a space where these individuals felt comfortable expressing themselves both creatively and interpersonally. I worked very hard to give the participants in my program a sense of self-agency, creative freedom, and identity, while also honoring the limitations of their current situation/circumstance and respecting RYOCF’s constraints and conditions. These individuals have so many valuable things to say and give to the world through art and movement, but their environment has led them to believe these things are not worth sharing or that they are not the people who should be sharing them. My only hope is that these individuals left my outreach program feeling as though at least one person sees them, sees their passion, values what they have to say, and cares about their art. The biggest successes I encountered throughout the entirety of the residency all related to moments where I felt as though the students were able to use their artistic expression to feel agency in their own identity and place value in their sense of self.” - Dance Teacher