Community Involvement

Trinity House

InterPlay Atlanta has begun to work with Trinity Community Ministries, an organization that houses a 36-bed residential recovery program called Trinity House, which responds to the growing needs of men experiencing  homelessness. We are proud to offer InterPlay as a resource to help these men return to their families, their communities, and ultimately, to a better life.  InterPlay Atlanta is grateful to be a part of Trinity Community Ministries' mission to promote the sustainable independence of those faced with homelessness, which typically stems from addiction or other disabilities. 

"This building used to be a place where they prepared the dead for burial. Now, it's a place where the 'dead' are reborn." 

             - Charles W., Resident of Trinity House-Big Bethel

The Friendship Center

InterPlay Atlanta offers InterPlay twice a month at The Friendship Center, an outreach program of Holy Comforter Church, a diverse worshipping community in the heart of Atlanta.The Friendship Center, an inclusive community, promotes the mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing of adults marginalized by mental health challenges and by poverty. InterPlay Atlanta is grateful to be a part of the rich programming at The Friendship Center that includes “Greenhouse and Gardening,” “Wellness and Recovery,” “Recovery through the Arts and Food.”

Find out more about The Friendship Center by clicking here.

 

The Atlanta Pretrial Detention Center 
in partnership with The City of Atlanta Public Defender’s Office

In the spring of 2015, InterPlay Atlanta began ongoing programming bringing InterPlay to women awaiting trial at the Atlanta Pretrial Detention Center. Weekly playgroups are offered as part of a larger program of the Atlanta Public Defender’s Office: S.E.E.D.S. Strategies for Empowerment, Education, Development and Sustainability. 

 S.E.E.D.S. programming seeks to empower women during their time of incarceration. Participants receive support in the following areas: 1.) Psychoeducational and skills building 2.) Relapse prevention 3.) Mind, body and spirit recovery and connection 4.) Economic success 5.) Education about risky sexual behavior. InterPlay Atlanta is recognized by the Public Defender’s Office as a meaningful and effective way to decrease stress, create healthy mind, body, spirit connections, and invite joy into a space that is often filled with anxiety.

Mercy Care Atlanta

InterPlay Atlanta has begun partnering with Mercy Care Atlanta. After bringing InterPlay to Mercy Care's "The Art of Self-Care" showcase on June 9th, regularly weekly play sessions are being offered. Mercy Care describes its organization as having a "spirit of compassion," and states,  "We honor the healing mission of the Sisters of Mercy by providing excellent healthcare to the poor and marginalized. Our fundamentals are compassion, commitment to the poor, excellence, integrity, justice, stewardship and reverence for the dignity of each person." InterPlay Atlanta is grateful to partner with Mercy Care and to bring the gifts of InterPlay to Mercy Care's peer support recovery program for women.

The Atlantic Institute & Instanbul Cultural Center Atlanta

InterPlay Workshops were offered at The Atlantic Institute & Istanbul Cultural Center Atlanta at the end of 2017. Ruth Schowalter in collaboration with Canan Arikan offered the following:  On Saturday, November 4th, 11:00-1:00, all international women were invited to attend “Speaking English With Confidence,” to experience a new and empowering way to communicate in English. Then on Saturday, November 18^th, 11:00-1:00, all adults were welcome to attend an introductory InterPlay workshop, “The Beauty in Being Human: Sharing Our Stories.” On December 2^nd, 11:00-1:00, for their third workshop, people of all faiths were invited to participate in an “Interfaith Exchange,” using InterPlay tools and forms. Canan, a Turkish Visiting Scholar, offered these workshops at her Turkish Cultural Center to complete her Level-One Certificate of Applied InterPlay for Educators. 

Reforming Arts

In the spring of 2013, InterPlay Atlanta began sharing the gifts of InterPlay with the women at Lee Arrendale State Prison through Reforming Arts. Reforming Arts is a Georgia nonprofit providing arts and higher education opportunities to women in Georgia’s criminal justice system.

As well as offering general InterPlay sessions, InterPlay Atlanta has also introduced InterPlay as a performance medium. Twelve-week InterPlay performance workshops have concluded with performances based on a theme selected by the participants.   

Past funding has come from and Artistic Assistance grant through Alternate ROOTS sponsored by the Nathan Cummings Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and The Kresge Foundation. 

--Jennifer Denning, InterPlay Atlanta Co-founder

"The InterPlay class at Lee Arrendale State Prison is a wonderful addition to Reforming Arts' Higher Education at LASP program. From community building to providing a space for fun and creative self-expression InterPlay is invaluable to our organization and loved by the women at Lee Arrendale State Prison."

-Wende Ballew

Executive Director, Reforming Arts

 
For more about InterPlay Atlanta's work at Lee Arrendale, go here: A Glimpse of InterPlay at Lee Arrendale Prison.

Past Community Involvement

 
CLARKSTON COMMUNITY MARKET 
Beginning in June  2015, once a month, InterPlay Atlanta began offering a free "taste" of InterPlay to one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the United States--Clarkston, Georgia. Comprised of both long-time Americans and newly arriving refugees, the Clarkston community is a wonderful place to experience InterPlay improvisational forms used for fun community building. Join us on first Saturdays from June to November. The market is open from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm on the Activity Field, 3701 College Avenue, Clarkston, Georgia 30021

For more about InterPlay's involvement with the Clarkston Community Center Market go here: 

A Taste of Free InterPlay: InterPlay Atlanta Goes to the Clarkston Community Market

Communicycle and InterPlay at the CCC

CLARKSTON YOUTH INITIATIVE 2015 & 2016

InterPlay Atlanta is on the 2015 team for the Clarkston Youth Initiative, an afterschool program supporting middle and high school students in the Clarkston, Georgia, community. Offering the class "Creative Communication" on Mondays beginning on October 19th and concluding in December, InterPlay Atlanta will meet for an hour of instruction 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.  
In this "Creative Communication class, students will have fun playing around with expressing what they have to say or not say while working in pairs, small and large groups, or alone. Using the improvisational system of InterPlay, they will be invited to speak without preparation and to make things up. In addition to expanding their story telling abilities, they will learn other ways to communicate using movement, voice, and stillness. Whether shy or outgoing, students can learn how to succeed at getting their message across more effectively and enjoy the process!

Most important of all, playing around as a creative communicator, students will have the opportunity to experience their own “wisdom”—what they know is true for themselves. Their uniqueness, tradition, and ways of doing things will be honored. 

Creative Communication Class Begins at the Clarkston Community Center