High Schoolers Combine Talents for “LEAP – The Human Kindness Project”

Scene from “LEAP – The Human Kindness Project,” not taken from actual event. Submitted.

Ministry Door County Medical Center (MDCMC), together with 30 Door County high school students and 10 creative facilitators, proudly presents “LEAP – The Human Kindness Project” on April 15 at Southern Door Community Auditorium.

Scene from LEAP – the Human Kindness Project. Submitted.

LEAP is an acronym for “Learning to Empower and Appreciate all People.” Inspired by Terry Lundahl, in her role of developing community outreach programs for MDCMC, the program began as part of Ministry’s community benefit initiative regarding “Youth & Positive Mental Health Awareness.” LEAP expands on a violence-free message and challenges prevailing attitudes toward acceptance and social injustice. The performance is dedicated to encouraging positive thinking, passion, and personal growth through movement and the art of dance, spoken word, songs, visual arts and multimedia imagery.

This year’s theme will focus on 30 adolescents who portray “rebels” that are sent to an Adolescent Wilderness Therapy Treatment Center. The audience will watch these young artists take a moral inventory of their lives – telling their stories through dance, multimedia imagery, spoken word, song and visual arts, all the while employing a theory of action and change.

“The young artists of LEAP began this journey in early 2015 with a strong desire to be a generation that creates change by speaking out against bullying, a subject that resonates with many of the performers and teens from Door County, as well as the world’s teen populations,” said Lundahl.

LEAP facilitators included Amanda List, Andria Nikoupolis-Weliky, Isaiah Spetz (youth director), Dorothy Scott, Mary Hall, Nikki Hedeen, Cheryl Pfister, Chris Henkel, Mark Thiede, Josh Lardnois and Emily Salm.

The LEAP Project will offer the performance to all Door County high school students during the week of April 12, prior to the community performance on April 15.

The performance begins at 7 pm. Tickets are $12, with no charge for students. For more information visit southerndoorauditorium.org.