In grappling with the local challenges surrounding youth homelessness and substance abuse, the Clallam County League of Women Voters is turning to those experiencing the adversities through a unique project.

To do so, the nonpartisan political organization is the driving force behind the “Legislative Theatre Youth Project” intended to spur social change, seek solutions and provide public education around the issues of youth homelessness, drug and alcohol abuse and other areas youth identify as threats to themselves in Clallam County.

The project aligns with the league’s fundamental goal to “empower citizens to shape better communities worldwide,” Genaveve Starr, Clallam County LWV vice president, said.

By partnering with Marc Weinblatt, founder and co-director of the multi-disciplinary arts organization Mandala Center for Change in Port Townsend, the project combines both forum and legislative theater. In mid-June up to 20 affected and at-risk-youth in Clallam County will have the opportunity to participate in a week-long workshop with Weinblatt as its facilitator.

Weinblatt uses a variety of methods, such as “Applied Theatre” and “Popular Education” to explore serious social issues like homelessness. Throughout the workshop the participants will develop a short play based on their combined experiences, culminating in two free, public performances where the youth become public educators.

The LWV plans to invite local legislators and elected officials.

“Those legislators and elected officials come and do nothing but sit, listen and observe,” Eileen Herrling, Clallam County LWV board secretary and project chairman, said. “The essence of this project is to have youth from Clallam County tell their combined stories to the public, to invited legislators and others in position to effect social change.”

Interactive production

In creating a play together “the needs of the youth are brought up by the youth, so it’s a bottom-up solution,” Herrling said. “It gives youth an opportunity to have a voice and it amplifies their voice to the community.”

The production is split into two interactive parts. First, the youth will perform the play as written. It’s then performed again, but members from the audience can “freeze” the performance at anytime and take the role of one of the characters to try to change the scenario by offering a different solution, Herrling explained.

“It’s very powerful and exciting to watch,” she said.

Secondly, the production transitions from forum theater to legislative theater. Youth participants and audience members are given a card and pen and asked to suggest a new law to address the issues reflected in the play. The laws are read aloud.

“Both sides are spoken to and then with a show of hands the audience votes,” Herrling said. “The exercise is empowering because it gives everybody the experience of voting and the elected officials just get to observe.”

Through creative and interactive formats, both forum and legislative theater are a “powerful” medium for communicating social challenges and coinciding complexities because “it’s very real,” Herrling said.

“It’s not talking about the issues — it’s getting engaged and drawn into the issues,” she said. “To speak and be heard … that’s what it’s all about.”

Inspiration, goals

After watching a similar production done through Mandala Center for Change focused on health care in Jefferson County, Herrling was inspired to apply the innovative approach to tackling social challenges in Clallam County.

Fellow LWV board members like Starr were supportive of the idea.

“I know how it is in Sequim and 50 percent of the students in our school system are eligible for food assistance because of the poverty level,” Starr said.

Like many counties, Clallam County has a “huge heroin” problem, Herrling added. Secondly, students in both the Port Angeles and Sequim school districts have self-identified as homeless.

As a retired mental health counselor, Herrling always has worked with at-risk-youth, including volunteering at juvenile court.

“I’m a visionary so I am really excited about this project,” she said.

Among the goals of the project, Herrling hopes it could be the catalyst for an ongoing theater group led by trained youth workers focused on keeping youth positively involved in their community while giving them a safe and effective venue to speak.

She also hopes to inspire social change.

“The legislators and elected officials have the potential of enacting real change for the youth in Clallam County,” Herrling said. “I don’t know what those changes could be, but that’s the goal of the production.”

Providing civic education and bringing the challenges associated with youth homelessness and substance abuse to the center stage are other project goals, Herrling and Starr said.

“This isn’t just about the youth, but it’s about the families and the community,” she said. “It’s about all of us.”

The project will occur between June 20-25 with public performances slated for Friday, June 24, and Saturday, June 25. Both the workshop and performances will be held at the Vern Burton Memorial Community Center, 308 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles. The space was donated by the City of Port Angeles.

The Clallam County LWV is seeking tax-deductible donations to help support the project and pay for expenses like equipment and food for the participating youth.

Contact Herrling at 360-928-9771 or eherrling@msn.com for with questions or to donate.

For more information of the Clallam County LWV, visit www.lwvcla.org.