Pocket Power

Some Tulsa young people are being given the opportunity to empower themselves through the arts, thanks to a very special program founded by a forward-thinking educator.

"A Pocket Full of Hope" promotes youth development and delinquency prevention by tapping the natural talents and creative potential of youth from distressed areas of Tulsa.

Using music, theater and dance as the springboard, A Pocket Full of Hope teaches youth from ages 7 to 19 the power of academic excellence, job readiness, self-confidence, good citizenship, character development, teamwork, coping skills and spiritual enlightenment.

Third-grader Skye Freeman performs.

A Pocket Full of Hope's productions include talent shows, The Wiz, and dance performances from Thriller. The program boasts a near-100% high school graduation rate. According to parent interviews and focus groups, more than half of the Pocket Players improve family relationships.

A Pocket Full of Hope was founded in 2000 as the dream of Dr. Lester Shaw, a life-long educator and drug counselor who is the Executive Director of the organization. Dr. Shaw decided to explore the potential of young people while counteracting negative stereotypes of youth from minority and distressed neighborhoods. Dr. Shaw's optimistic approach, as he puts it, "replaces pockets of despair with pockets of hope."

Dr. Shaw is a graduate of HUD's 2005 CFBCI grant-writing training. He and his organization are the recent recipients of two CDBG grants. The grants will provide transportation for the youth via the "Trust Bus" and renovate an historic building to be used as an auditorium and Community Revitalization Center.

Although A Pocket Full of Hope has served over 4,500 youth since its inception, the CDBG funding allows the program to expand by recruiting more youth into the program and establishing a permanent venue for the Pocket Players productions for the entire community to enjoy.

At a recent rehearsal for Paint the Town, Pocket Players offered the following thoughts about the program:

Dr. Shaw reviews a script with Isaiah Brydie.

Amira El Hassan, a high school Senior who is a dancer and headed to the University of Oklahoma to major in Pre-Med said, "A Pocket Full of Hope keeps me motivated and doing something positive. At first I wanted to major in dance but now I know that I can choose an important career and still dance."

Isaiah Butcher is a high school Senior who sings, raps and plays football. "A Pocket Full of Hope is an outlet for my artistic expression but it also helps me deal with life struggles," he said.. "I've been in five different high schools because of family issues and A Pocket Full of Hope is my safe haven."

All the youth expressed what a comforting, supportive and family-like atmosphere that A Pocket Full of Hope creates to help them with their problems and express themselves and their talents without being afraid.

Isaiah Brydie, a high school Sophomore, perhaps said it best. "A curve in the road is not the end of the road unless you refuse to turn," he said. "I've learned here how to turn those negative curves into something positive and that you can turn the bad experiences into something that will change you for the best."

A Pocket Full of Hope truly transforms the lives of the youth as it makes a powerful community contribution through its performance productions. Learn more about the program (http://www.apocketfullofhope.com/).

Photos were taken by Ashley Heider, a graduate of the Tulsa Field Office's 2007 CBCI grantwriting training.