About the Program

Central Union Mission has engaged Synergy in Action to design an interactive 8-week program to practice and teach the technique of Playback Theater to a select group of participants. The purpose of the program is to facilitate greater trust and understanding between and among participants, to build valuable skills and self-esteem, and help them become productive members of society.

The program combines the creative arts and group counseling to pull down walls of separation, allowing participants to see what connects them, to envision new solutions to old problems, and to rekindle their passion for life even when they may be on the verge of giving up hope.

Through telling and performing each other's stories, participants will be taught the skills to conduct Playback theatre workshops and performances on an on-going basis. The 8-week program will create a sustainable program that builds confidence and marketable skills, and can generate revenues with its own workshops and public performances.

The Participants

Program participants will include homeless men from the Mission's residential program. The program is an 18-month-long recovery program which provides biblical counseling, drug testing, work therapy, literacy and GED instruction, and vocational training to up to 50 men at a time. The program has an 80 percent success rate for restoring men with life-controlling issues back to independent living as upstanding members of the community.