How did the Will Power programs get started?
In the aftermath of the 1992 civil unrest in Los Angeles, Shakespeare Festival/LA (SFLA) was approached by civic leaders and philanthropic foundations to help address the needs of at-risk youth. SFLA was selected to be part of the City of Los Angeles’s Summer Youth Employment Program, which enabled us to create an employment-based arts program and allowed us to meet one of the most basic needs of urban youth—jobs. Since then, WPY has served hundreds of Los Angeles area youth. WPY was developed in cooperation with the National Conference for Community and Justice, which is a human relations organization dedicated to fighting racism, bigotry and bias in America. Each year, the mix of theater arts and human relations has been reshaped to meet the urgent, vital needs of our youth. Our permanent downtown space allowed us to expand our offerings. Will to Lead, Will to Work and Play On are all extensions of the original Will Power to Youth program that offer greater support to young people in
