Special interview with Yaeli Kogan, who will show us that empowering kids or women can happen through drama classes!
I started interviewing empowering women into the blog as I felt each has an important message that can help us, moms, parents in general and especially for our kids.
Today, I am happy to share a Special interview with Yaeli Kogan, Social entrepreneur, Director of the Performing Arts Center for Children and Youth, blogger, Theater director, and writer.
I met Yaeli as she taught theater to my oldest daughter, who continued with her drama classes until now and not only love it but fills her up every time she goes!
Question 1: What do you do? What is your expertise? Why and how in your opinion, theater helps empowering children?
Answer:
“All started with a fun drama class. Very quickly, I understood that drama / theater helps kids much more than just learning to act. I started getting more and more kids to my classes who were shy or with a low self-esteem, or even hyperactive kids.
I understood that theater actually heals.
Kids just thrive on the stage. Suddenly, shy kids stand and act in front of people and hyperactive kids got an active role as my assistants and found a good way to use their hyper-activity as they had more responsibilities during the rehearsals!
Dyslexic teens who had a hard time to read, found creative ways to remember the text by heart as it was so interesting for them! I could see kids got better at school and even socially with friends.
All started with a group of 10 kids and few years later, I managed my own school with a team of drama teachers.
I studied about gifted kids and understood that I have a great tool that could help kids.
It is not just another theater school. All the feedbacks they receive from the teachers are always positive and empowering. I do not accept the fact that one kid will not go up on the stage. No matter how they start and how they feel, they learn to stand on stage and play.
Their “difficulty” or the “defined issue” like “hyperactivity” is not relevant to me. I want them to come as they are, accept who they are and not try to make them “less” or “more”. That way, they learn to accept and love themselves as they are. “
Question 2: How do you connect social change and theater?
Answer:
“About 10 years ago, I started to be more socially aware and I paid attention to a lot of social issues that bothered the kids or myself. I decided to write about those matters. I was not sure first how kids will take it, as the subjects are deeper, more complex, serious…
I found out that the kids loved it. I understood that this helps change the kids consciousness on those important matters, but also the people coming to see the plays, so it had a double effect. This was the beginning of my social theater, where each play I write since then, is about a social issue to be discussed: obesity, disability, Youth at Risk…
Around the play and as we work on the play, I take the kids to visit young children at risk, talk to them, get to know each other, so when they play, they really understood the real issue, they felt and understood well the matter. This empowered both sides really. I was just fascinated about this.”
Question 3: What happened during the Covid-19? How do you empower women through theater and writing?
Answer:
“I went to study a master’s degree in social change through art. There I learned more about social consciousness.
I was amazed to learn about social issues, especially the gap between women and men in our century, in their wage, violence against women, sexual abuse and more.
There, I started to work as a director with a small group women of low socioeconomic status. We wrote a play, got a budget for it and worked on it.
I went to study team guidance and digital marketing.
Then I understood my mission, my destiny…which is to bring women to the center of the stage!
Thanks to 2 different ways:
1-teach women to write their own content and story and bring it out there. They learn not to be afraid to be in front and promote themselves. That helps them to become more economically independent
2- I write about inspiring women and their stories, trying to bring the stories to more people thanks to my blog.
Suddenly, came the covid-19 and my theater school just stopped.
It allowed me the time to interview lots of inspiring women. I write content so I started to research the link between personal and professional promotion.
I understood that all what I did with kids all those years helped me prepare for the next challenge.
I help women connect to their inner vision and own personal story and on my side, I bring the tool of the stage!
The more women will get out and speak their story, on stage, the easier it will get for the new generation to talk about those matters, deal with them, share about them.
I believe we all have a destiny. For me it started in 4th grade. I am 3rd generation to Holocaust survivor. I succeeded to be “sane” thanks to theater through a play about the holocaust.
I use what we call the narrative method, that sees the points of power and hope even in complex life stories. In each story, you can find strengths and inspirations for the listeners and thus the story has a certain healing power.
I always think of the next generation, our kids. It is important they hear our generation talk about our stories, about the lies, rapes, violence, sickness, disability…
I take the art of the story and the theater to create a deep change in our consciousness to make a difference for the next generation.
This is my vision, my goal.”
Question 4:What did you discover while working with women?
Answer:
“I learned that every woman has endless strengths, great talents, and can really make an impact.
I have discovered that there is no woman who is not inspiring, and that every woman has an exciting life story that can inspire others; that any woman can fulfill her dreams, at any age.
And that every woman can choose for herself the lead role in the play of her life.”
Question 5: Can you share some advice for women and kids?
Answer:
“Yes, make your own vision board, at least once a year. I welcome you to even do it with your kids. It is a great activity for all to do together and each for himself. This makes great changes.
A vision board is a wonderful tool that constitutes a Roadmap to destinations and dreams.
The board consists of a collage of photos and inspirational sentences, which symbolize for you the dreams, the goals, the aspirations that you want to bring into your life.
Some see it as a spiritual mystical tool for creating abundance and there are those who see it as a grounded and practical training tool to connect to forces of motivation, perseverance and coping with challenges along the way.
So anyway, it’s just proven to be a working tool.
The vision board speaks the language of the subconscious, it is created with symbols and images, that once we are exposed to them on a daily level, they help us reach his aspirations with flow and ease.
The board provides motivation in challenging moments when we see the goal in front of our eyes on a daily basis. It is easier for us to maintain motivation, optimism and strength even in less flowing moments. It helps us stay focused and tuned to our goals.”
and here are the 5 steps to start playing as the main role of your own play and adding back your dreams into your life:
Step 1: Defining the dream / wish / desire you want to put into your life.
Take an hour of your time and be alone with a notebook and a pen! Write in it all the things which
give you happiness but are not related to anyone other than you.
sing? Dance? draw? Read a good book? write songs?
run? Learn to cook Italian food etc ….
Write down what made you happy as a child or teenager, what you loved to do and stopped.
In the first stage, choose one thing that makes you happy and that you want to add to your life.
Step 2: Defining the practical actions to be taken in order to make that desire a reality.
For example, if you want to start painting again, that would be to find out where painting lessons take place and when. Even if
at first you do not find anything close that fits your schedule, do not despair. Look until you find what can be added in your agenda.
Step 3: Defining the obstacles & fears that stop you.
Along with the joy of remembering or finding those ideas and dreams that really excite you, there will almost always be fears and restraints.
It is important to define and write down the fears and restraints accurately.
For example, what will the children / family say if I want to fly alone with friends?
How will my boss react if I let him know I start studying once a week?
What will my spouse say if I want to invest the money we saved for a new kitchen to study a master degree instead?
How can I get back to dancing when my body is not as flexible and thin as it used to be?
And more and more thoughts and restraints.
Write them down on a page and define them clearly.
When fear is recorded ,it is much easier to find a practical solution to it.
Step 4: Providing a logical response to those fears and obstacles.
It is important to understand that fear has a role. It supposedly comes to protect us from harm.
The problem starts when we let fears decide for us and stop us.
I believe that once we choose to let go of the fear, listen to it and give it a place, a logical technical solution can be found for it.
After registering the fears and restraints, one should look for a logical answer.
For example, I can come in advance to the boss and explain that I will complete the hours on weekends; Or I will arrive earlier and that the studies will help me become more efficient and creative at work.
It is possible to have a conversation with your spouse and explain that a master’s degree will make me much more complete and happy than a new kitchen. Once you are complete and cohesive with your dream or idea, you will carry everyone away with you…Because a happy woman is a more pleasant partner.
Step 5: Introducing the dream / idea / desire into your daily routine.
Once you have defined what you want, you understand how to achieve it, you analyzed what stopped and delayed you and gave that fear a logical answer, it is time to just jump into the water and start fulfilling, create, play the lead role on the stage of your life.
And as soon as you start adding more and more moments to your daily routine, all other actors in the show of your life will be affected by it: your relationships will improve, Children will be more relaxed and work will flow more easily.
Because a happy and whole woman can stand in the face of every challenge and she sets an example for her children and everyone around her!
…so if you have a story to tell, if you feel writing your story will empower others, or if Yaeli’s work is something you wish to take part in, please contact her at koganyaeli@gmail.com
