PRIDE Over MEA Weekend

PRIDE over MEA weekend

PRIDE over Minnesota Educator Academy (MEA) weekend is a three-day mini-course for youth by Penumbra-trained educators and teaching artists. Students will explore and celebrate Positive Racial Identity Development & Empowerment (PRIDE) through theater-based activities, storytelling, movement, and guided discussions.

Participants will:

Build meaningful connections to self and community
Engage in joyful learning, play, and artistic expression
Gain tools to navigate identity-based conversations
Affirm cultural strengths of young people
Experience inclusive spaces that center BIPOC voices and experiences, while welcoming ALL participants into reflection, joy, and connection

Additional information:

Who: Children in Kindergarten, Grades 1–2, Grades 3–4, and Grade 5 (7 slots open per group)
When: Thursday, October 15 through Saturday, October 17, 2026.
What: Penumbra-trained educators will facilitate the PRIDE Curriculum, offering a dynamic, arts-based, and play-driven learning experience. The curriculum emphasizes psychological safety, creative exploration, and cultural responsiveness through flexible, interdisciplinary methods
Where: To be announced.
For Parents/Caregivers: Parents and caregivers are invited to gather for coffee/connection each morning while children settle in
Food: Boxed lunch and snacks provided daily; bring a refillable water bottle
Cost: Participation is free, but registration is required.

Registration starts September 1, 2026. Questions? Please contact our youth engagement team at youth@penumbratheatre.org.

“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”
—Angela Davis, Activist, professor, and author

“We tend to think of healing as something binary. But healing and growth take place on a continuum, with innumerable points between utter brokenness and total health.”
—Dr. Resmaa Menakem, Therapist, author, and trauma specialist

“I believe that one of the most beautiful things about theater is that no one artist can do it alone.”
—Harrison David Rivers, Playwright and Penumbra company member

“You cannot use someone else’s fire. You can only use your own. And in order to do that, you must first be willing to believe that you have it.”
—Audre Lorde, Black feminist, lesbian, poet, mother, warrior

“You cannot give energy if you’re not on fire on the inside.”
—Rev. Jesse Jackson, American civil rights leader, Baptist minister, and political activist

“Within Penumbra's walls, a genuine spirit of care breathes and thrives, weaving a rich and tender atmosphere where creative courage is not just invited, but deeply embraced.”
—Lester Purry, Actor and Penumbra company member