Monologue Project
a GEAR UP Program
BELLINGHAM, WA
Jen Dickenson, Reporter

The Bellingham Youth Voices team remounted the Monologue Project this year in Skagit Valley, this time under the auspices of GEAR UP, a University of Washington program aimed at inspiring youth to go to college. The Monologue Project began last year as a pilot in the Bellingham School District at Fairhaven MS by last years’ Bellingham Youth Voices team and met with much success.  This year, the Youth Voices team went into West View Elementary and Mt. Baker Middle Schools in Skagit valley where they worked with eighth graders.  The basic idea of the monologue project is as follows:  The Power of Hope staff works with the group of middle school students doing creative writing exercises to help them in writing monologues based on their personal experience.  Then, we take these monologues that the youth have written and present them to college acting students who rehearse the monologues and perform them back to the students.  This is a very powerful experience both for the middle school and college students. We are just now in the process of giving the monologues to the college students, so stay tuned for updates!