"Pocket Power TV" allows
area youths to pack a strong artistic punch
By DEON HAMPTON World Staff Writer
6/20/2007
The sketch comedy variety show is similar to
Saturday Night Live and MADtv. Pocket Power
TV airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on Cox, cable channel
70."The show is laugh relief and helps
divert attention from the War in Iraq and other
universal problems," said Lester Shaw,
founder of A Pocket Full of Hope.
Pocket Power is a division of Hope, a north
Tulsa-based organization known for building
character among youths through music, theater
production and dance. The 30-minute program
is an added twist for Hope, and features three
local teenagers who play many characters and
roles. Other youths associated with the organization
are used as extras.Actors said the show benefits
them and allows thinking outside the box. "It
gives me the opportunity to express myself creatively,"
said John Martin, 18, who has goals of becoming
a well-known entertainer. Martin said turning
into a washed up, old music artist attempting
a comeback is his favorite skit.
"When I first moved to Tulsa, I didn't
have any friends, and I didn't like going to
school, but I met Lester and he allowed me to
express myself artistically," said Daniel
Rogers, 19. "Pocket Power TV" is an
outlet for people to focus their energy, he
said. Posing as a waiter and placing the wrong
menu orders for diners is Rogers' preferred
sketch. "When the manager is summoned (about
the poor service), he's just as bad," Rogers
said.
Bryan Waid likes scenarios combining music
videos and pirates. "All I want to do is
act," said Waid, 19. Eleven episodes of
the three dressing up in wigs and multiple outfits
have aired, with at least 25 more to come, Martin
said. The shows are taped at a restaurant, school
auditorium and on the property of a north Tulsa
home. A contracted videographer shoots and edits
the shows before airing.
Now in its seventh year as a nonprofit organization,
Hope, offers free activities for youths. The
organization also teaches participants how to
be progressive and take ownership, Shaw said.
The home has two computer rooms equipped with
13 computers, which are Internet accessible.
There is also a salon where makeup is provided
for performers, and a room for news broadcasts
and videogames.
Plays have included "Life is a Struggle,"
which took first place in the 2005 Gwendolyn
Brooks Writers Conference. A production for
preteens. "Slick Kidnapper," teaches
children how to avoid abduction, Shaw said.
Shaw said anyone can join Hope, with one requirement.
"The first time they come, they have to
sit and observe," Shaw said.
More than 75 youths are enrolled in Hope, though
sports and summer jobs have limited the group
to 45 core members, Shaw said. Shaw said he
first thought of the nonprofit from his school
experiences growing up. Teachers taught him
many things, but he never had an opportunity
to conduct practical experience, something he
wants Hope to do, he said.
Pocket Power TV (Hud.gov web site)
http://www.hud.gov/local/ok/library/archives/2007-10-15.cfm
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.
Photos were taken by Ashley Heider, a graduate of the Tulsa Field Office's 2007 CBCI grantwriting training.
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