Hands are for Holding® is a youth-centered arts education program which uses dance and movement to engage in conversations about healthy relationships.
Developed in 2014 in close partnership with Day One and the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic & Gender-Based Violence, the Hands are for Holding® (HAFH) program has reached over 40,000 young people, and over 200 schools and organizations, across the nation.
EACH SESSION INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COMPONENTS:
A high quality contemporary dance piece performed by professional dancers, followed by a guided conversation
Opportunities to embody healthy relationship concepts through accessible and inclusive creative movement activities
Resources for young people around teen dating violence and mental health
WHEN YOU BOOK THE HANDS ARE FOR HOLDING® PROGRAM, YOU RECEIVE:
1-2 virtual planning meetings with staff and/or educators to customize the workshop plan to address the specific needs of the community (as well as a virtual debrief meeting following the workshops)
1-5 youth-centered workshops that use a trauma-informed lens to focus on socio-emotional learning topics such as boundaries, teen dating violence, mental health and technology, and bullying
Workshops facilitated by 4 teaching artists with diverse backgrounds and extensive experience
Topics
The HAFH program can be tailored to fit the needs and interests of each school, with a variety of activities and dances choreographed to explore specific topics:
“Connections” covers the topic of cyber-abuse and how to support a friend who is experiencing harassment or other forms of violence.
“Boundaries” conveys how boundaries and consent can shift from person to person, and how to communicate with and respect each other.
“Isolation” addresses bullying and how to support a friend who is being bullied.
“Side by Side” presents two similar duets performed simultaneously, but with different dynamics, demonstrating the clear dichotomies between healthy and unhealthy relationships.
“Relationship with Self” addresses themes of mental health, relationship to technology, and strategies for supporting yourself and others
THOUGHTS FROM OUR PARTNERS
“I discovered that I could use movement to express my emotions and let out all the stress or anxiety I had bottled up inside me.”
Student Participant
“Thank you all so much for your support for our students and our community. We heard rave reviews from our staff who participated in the session and we appreciated your arts-focused approach to SEL .”
Assistant Principal at Partner School
BOOK HANDS ARE FOR HOLDING® WORKSHOPS
For more information and to bring the HAFH program to your community, please contact Will Noling at will@gibneydance.org or at (646) 837-6809.
YOUTH WORKSHOPS
MULTI-WORKSHOP SERIES: PROGRAM STRUCTURE: 2-5 workshops with the same group of young people NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: Minimum of 5 – Maximum of 80 participants COST: $1,000 per workshop AVAILABILITY: Mon-Fri, 9:00 am-6:00 pm DURATION OF SESSIONS: 45-60 min AGE GROUP: Appropriate for Grades 3 and up, tailored to the needs of each age group
ONE-OFF ASSEMBLY: PROGRAM STRUCTURE: 1 assembly with a larger group of students NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: Maximum of 150 participants COST: $1500 per assembly AVAILABILITY: Mon-Fri, 9:00 am-6:00 pm DURATION OF SESSIONS: 45-60 min AGE GROUP: Appropriate for Grades 3 and up, tailored to the needs of each age group
Through a combination of choreographed dance performance followed by conversation, resource sharing, and participatory activities, the Hands are for Holding® PD Workshop supports educators and staff by:
Building shared language around healthy relationships topics
Exploring potential ways to implement SEL-focused embodiment activities into workshop participants’ own work and practice
Offering self-care tools that might be applicable to the everyday life of young people and adults
Sharing available resources and discussing strategies for supporting young people
LOGISTICS:
Duration of each workshop: 75-90 minutes
Availability:Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM
Academy for Environmental Leadership ACCION Academy Achievement First North Brooklyn Prep Middle School August Martin HS Baltimore County Public Schools Bard College Baruch College Campus High School Briarcliff High School Brighter Choice Community School Bronx Academy of Letters Bronx Bridges HS Bronx Dance Academy Bronx Leadership Academy Brooklyn Gardens Elementary School Brooklyn High School for the Arts Brooklyn International High School Brooklyn School for Social Justice Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School Brownsville Academy High School Center for Anti-Violence Education (PACT) CES Regional Center for the Arts Channel View High School Children’s Aid Citywide Students in Temporary Housing Conference Coalition School for Social Change Columbia University Consulate General of Denmark: Citizen Sustainability Summit Cultural Academy for the Arts and Sciences Cypress Hills Community School PS 089 Day One DYCD Step It Up E.S.M.T. IS 190 East Flatbush Research Community School Edward R. Murrow High School Ella Baker School ENDGBV + Queens FJC: Healthy Families Resource Fair Entrada Academy Essex Street Academy Fannie Lou Hamer Middle School Fordham Institute for Women and Girls Conference Fordham Leadership Academy Forsyth Satellite Academy High School Franklin Middle School Frederick Douglass Academy Friends Seminary Grace Church School Gramercy Arts High School Great Oaks Charter School Hamilton Heights Harlem Village Academy Harvest Collegiate High School Harvey Milk High School Health Opportunities High School Herbert H. Lehman High School High School for Law, Advocacy, and Community Justice Hope’s Door Annual Teen Symposium Hunter College: NYSDEA Intrepid Museum – GOALS Program IS 117 Joseph Wade IS 217 School of Performing Arts IS 228 David A Boody IS 281 Joseph B Cavallaro IS 291 Roland Hayes IS 392 IS 584 IS 61 Leonardo Da Vinci It Takes a Village Academy Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School James Madison High School JHS 98 Herman Ridder Khalil Gabran International Kurt Hahn Expeditionary Learning School Lansdowne High School Lansdowne Middle School Life is Precious – Bronx Life Is Precious – Brooklyn Life is Precious – Queens Life is Precious – Washington Heights Lili’uokalani Trust Loch Raven Academy Lower Manhattan Academy of the Arts Lutheran Social Services of New York (Fortitude House) Lutheran Social Services of New York (Vanguard House) Lyons Community School M.S. M247 Dual Language Middle School Marie Curie High School Middle River Middle School Middle School for Art and Philosophy (MS 588) Middle Village Prep School MS 202 Robert H. Goddard MS 217 Robert Van Wyck MS 258 Community Action School MS 301 Satellite East MS 328 MS 340 North Star Academy MS 377 Renaissance School of the Arts MS 447 The Math & Science Exploratory School MS 53 New Heights Academy Charter School (ACDP COMPASS) New Visions Charter High School for Advanced Math & Science II (AMSII) Nightingdale-Bamford School North Bronx School of Empowerment Northside Charter High School NYC Arts Office NYC DOE – Election Day PD (OSYD) NYCHA (Staten Island) One to World Orchard Collegiate Academy Pace High School Phipps Neighborhoods Pikesville Middle School Police Athletic League Poly Prep Professional Pathways High School PS 125 Ralph Bunche PS 140 The Eagle School PS 154 Jonathan D. Hyatt PS 163Q Flushing Heights PS 165 Ida Posner PS 165Q PS 169 Sunset Park School PS 188 The Island School PS 194 Countee Cullen PS 196 PS 199 Frederick Wachtel School PS 2 The Alfred Zimberg School PS 201Q PS 202K PS 21 Crispus Attuck PS 239Q PS 298 PS 299 Thomas Warren Field PS 306 The Ethan Allen Community School PS 32 PS 330Q PS 343 Peck Slip School PS 38 Roberto Clemente Learning Complex PS 463 Urban Scholars Community School PS 50 The Vito Marcantonio School PS 536 PS 54 Magnet School PS 56 The Lewis H. Latimer School PS 59 William Floyd PS 67 Charles A. Dorsey School PS 68Q PS 81Q PS 91Q PS 92 Bronx School PS 92Q The Harry T. Stewart School PS 94 Henry Longfellow PS 96 Global Kids PS/IS 171 Patrick Henry PS/IS 178Q The Holliswood School PS/IS 226 PS/IS 284 PS/IS 686 Brooklyn School of Inquiry PS/MS 161 Pedro Albizu Campos PS/MS 194 PS/MS 200 The Magnet School for Global Studies and Leadership PS/MS 5 The Port Morris School of Community Leadership Riverdale Avenue Middle School Russel Sage JHS 190 Sanctuary for Families Benefit St Nicks Alliance The Green School Stemmers Run Middle School Storefront Academy Harlem Stuyvesant High School Success Academy Harlem East Summer Streets TAG Young Scholars School Talent Unlimited High School The Brearley School The Door The Door – Bronx Youth Center The Urban Assembly Unison School Tilden Educational Campus Townsend Harris High School University Neighborhood High School University Neighborhood Middle School William Cullen Bryant High School Williamsburg Charter High School Windsor Mill Middle School
The HAFH program receives generous support from the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, the New York City Council, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, and the Ready Foundation.
