Our Story

"There's a very ancient saying, but a true and honest thought. That if you become a teacher, by your pupils you'll be taught."
--Oscar Hammerstein, Jr., "Getting to Know You" from The King and I

All true educational experiences require a give and take between teachers and learners and so it is fitting that the inspiration for ENACT came from a group of special needs students. In 1987, ENACT program founder Diana Feldman, a drama therapist, and two other teaching artists were working as volunteers with a group of autistic young people. Noticing how these youths responded to movement and music activities, Feldman witnessed first-hand the way that arts activities could not only aid in teaching subject matter, but also in touching these young people - many of whom had been labeled "unreachable" -on a profound emotional level. The "breakthrough" moment was when Feldman realized that, through role-play, her team could tap into these youths' feelings of isolation by creating characters that, metaphorically, shared those feelings.

Learning from this example, Feldman, a graduate of New York University's Educational Theatre Program, proposed that through a multidisciplinary, arts-based program, students could be taught key "emotional skills" - how to listen to others, to confront ones own fears, and to find positive emotional alternatives to violence and self-destructive habits. What was needed was a teaching method based on solid psychological, pedagogical, and artistic principles, through which children and youth could learn a different, but no less important, set of "3Rs:" respect for self, respect for others, and responsibility. What emerged was the ENACT Method, a new teaching strategy based on insights from a wide range of distinguished specialists in arts, education, and counseling.

The "proving grounds" for the ENACT Method has been some of New York City's toughest schools. These schools often have a rich racial and cultural diversity, but are situated in economically underserved communities. Since 1987, ENACT has worked with more than 100,000 students in schools within all 10 New York City Department of Education (DOE) School Regions, and in all five boroughs of the city. Starting with one DOE arts in education contract, the organization now has seven such contracts with the city, including ones to develop programs in professional development, behavior management, and violence prevention.

A data analysis by Metis Associates, a New York City-based consulting firm, found that more than 50% of students participating in ENACT's four full-time AIDP Programs - at schools in Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx - showed improvement in attendance. Having proved that ENACT works - and thanks to a generous grant from The Ford Foundation the organization is now seeking ways to expand its reach by identifying its best practices, and offering professionals tangible instruments to measure the impact of its programs.