HIPPODROME IMPROVISATIONAL TEEN THEATRE

PROGRAM HISTORY

HITT was created in 1984 to help teens explore their attitudes about critical issues that face them daily. Using improvisational techniques, HITT theatre specialists collaborate with instructors from each program site in an effort to guide teens in the creation of theatrical presentations. The flexibility of the improvisational format provides an environment that allows students to safely examine their past experiences and behaviors while exploring new possibilities for the future.

OUTREACH

Successful collaborations have been created with several area facilities. The following are a list of program sites that have also benefited from HITT's award-winning prevention and intervention programming:

· Gainesville High School - An Alachua County public school that serves an economically and racially diverse student population.
· Silver River Marine Institute - A non-residential program for juvenile offenders. 100% of student population is referred to Silver River by juvenile court judges as a requirement of probation.
· Hawthorne High School - A rural public school serving an impoverished area of Alachua County. The majority of the student population is classified as at-risk based on economic information provided by the State's Free Lunch Program.
· PACE Ocala - A non-residential program sponsored by the Department of Juvenile Justice. PACE serves as an alternative to incarceration or institutionalization for troubled adolescent girls. Students are eligible for enrollment due to problems of dependency, truancy, delinquency, or academic underachievement.
· Howard Bishop Middle School - A public school located in a federally designated Weed and Seed area in a section of Gainesville encompassing several low-socio-economic neighborhoods with high incidence of drug use, drug trafficking, crime and increasing gang activity. HITT worked exclusively with Howard Bishop's PRIDE program, a class consisting of a core group of special needs students that have experienced problems with pregnancy, motherhood, behavioral or criminal violations, academic difficulties or adjustment problems.
· Horizon Center - An alternative middle school for children with disciplinary problems.
· New Pathways - A mandatory admittance school for students with disciplinary problems.

HITT INTERNATIONAL

In 1996, because of the reputation and success of HITT's service-learning component, the Hippodrome was invited by Florida International Volunteer Corp and the Antigua Ministry of Education to travel to Antigua to work with peer counselors and educators in developing a pilot HITT program in the West Indies. The program was highly successful, providing training for 25 peer educators, school counselors and representatives of the Ministry; receiving extensive television coverage; and presenting a performance to over 200 dignitaries, students, teachers and family members. In 1997 and 1998, the Hippodrome was again invited by Florida International Volunteer Corp to lend the HITT program's expertise in expanding the pilot program in Barbuda, West Indies. In 1999 and Aruba in 2002, the project team was invited to participate in the initiation of the program in St. Lucia, West Indies, Grenada in 2000, Jamaica in 2001, and upcoming in 2002 - Aruba.

COMMITTMENT TO EDUCATION

Since 1995, the Hippodrome has worked with Sante Fe Community College to provide college scholarships to students who have completed the HITT program and graduated from high school. The Hippodrome continues to develop incentives for at-risk students to change their lives and those of their friends and families.

AWARDS, HONORS AND RECOGNITION

In 2005, HITT was selected as the first program validated by the Department of Children and Families as the first Florida Provider Replication Program Community Model Program. HITT was honored by the designation at the Florida Statewide Prevention Conference recognizing 2005 Who's Who of Prevention Leaders in Florida. HITT received validation to replicate its programming as a Model Program because of the program's outstanding accomplishments in the area of prevention. The program was recognized as one of the best programs in the nation.

In 2004, HITT International received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Florida International Volunteer Corps.

In 2003, the HITT International Program and the HITT Team received recognition from Governor Jeb Bush for their work in the West Indies.

Florida Department of Children and Families: In 2001, HITT received First Place Honors in the Innovative Programs Category for the First Annual Substance Abuse Services Best Practices Award. This award program was designed to reward programs that are considered models that should be recognized and perhaps replicated, and that improve the outcomes and quality of life for their clients. As a recipient of this prestigious honor, HITT was recognized at the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association's 25th Anniversary Annual Conference.

* Former HITT Project Director, Bonnie Harrison, received numerous awards and honors. She received the Florida International Volunteer Corps 2000 Outstanding Achievement Award and the Steve Tunick Award for excellence.

VISTA: In 1999, the Hippodrome was recognized by President Clinton's Americorps Program and awarded a full time VISTA (a federally paid, full-time volunteer) to work directly with the HITT project team for the following three years.

Service Learning: In 1995, HITT participated in the National Service Learning Conference in Philadelphia where it garnered 1st Place as the best service-learning project in the nation. In 1996, HITT again participated in the Conference, taking home Second Place in the nation honors. HITT was one of 100 groups in the nation selected to participate in this national conference sponsored by Learn and Serve. The HITT program was honored at an award ceremony featuring remarks and congratulations from Hillary Clinton, a "Liberty Bell" presentation by Philadelphia Mayor Edward Randell and medals and awards presented by James Kielsmeier, CEO of the National Youth Leadership Council.

SERV: In 1993, HITT was recognized as one of the best educational programs in the Southeast by the SouthEastern Regional Vision for Education (SERV). HITT is one of 30 exemplary programs honored for providing integrated student services through curriculum-based programming and was featured in SERV's annual publication "Sharing Success." In 1998, HITT was honored by Florida Secretary of State Sandra Mortham with a "Very Special Arts Award."

HITT: PERFORMING THE ART

Since HITT's creation in 1984, at-risk students have performed and conducted workshops at numerous conferences and symposiums, including:

1988:

• Public Forum on AIDS sponsored by Florida Endowment for the Humanities
  
  1989:
• HITT and Southeast Network create, AIDS: It's Up to You, a peer education video for high-risk teens, distributed to 300 runaway shelters nationwide
  
  1990:
• Florida Legislature invites HITT students to perform in Tallahassee
  
  1991-96:
• HITT hosts Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association's annual conference,
  Prevention through Arts.
  
  1994:
• HITT performance at Victims Advocates Conference: Sexual Battery and Violence in the '90s
  
• 1995:
• HITT command performance for Florida Governor Lawton Chiles
• HITT performance for the Federal Juvenile Justice Program
  
  1995-98:
• HITT performances at National Learn and Serve Conferences
  
  1997-98:
• HITT performances at Martin Luther King Summit, Drop Out Prevention Conference, and Pregnancy Prevention Summit
  
  1998-02:
• HITT performances at the First Annual Florida Girls Summit
  
  1999-00:
• HITT performances at the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association's annual conference
  
  2000:
• HITT performs at the Florida Learn & Serve conference, March of Dimes Chain Reaction
• Youth Leadership Summit, & the Statewide Drug Summit
  

2003:

• STOP Alligator Creek performs at the Marchman Center in Daytona Beach.
• STOP Alligator Creek performs at the Hippodrome State Theatre for the community and their families
• Alachua Halfway House performs at the Girls Club of Alachua County
• Alachua Halfway House performs at the T.B. McPherson Center
• Loften High School performs at the PIPSA Regional Drug Summit at the University of Florida
• Horizon performs at the Grand Park Center in Jacksonville


2004:

• Alachua Halfway House/First Step performs “Girl Power” at the Wilhemina Johnson Center
• Alachua Halfway House/First Step performs at the Hippodrome State Theatre for the community and their families (Feb. 21, July 31, Oct. 19)
• Alachua Halfway House/First Step performs at the Grand Park Center in Jacksonville
  
• 2005:
• Alachua Halfway House/First Step performs at the Hippodrome State Theatre for the community and their families (April 23, July 23)
• Alachua Halfway House/First Step, Horizon Middle School, Union County, Loften High School, Hoggetowne Middle performs at the Hippodrome State Theatre for the community and their families (May 17, Oct. 18, Dec. 12)


2006:

• Alachua Halfway House/First Step , Horizon Middle School and Union County perform at the Hippodrome State Theatre for the community and their families
• Alachua Halfway House/First Step performs at the Hippodrome State Theatre for the community and their families