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“This Is It:” A Celebration of the History of S.E.T.T.
By Brittany Jones
Sojourner Truth Reporter
For 26 years, the Self Expression Teen Theater, or S.E.T.T.,
has helped keep children out of the streets by, in part,
bringing them to the stage. Through performing arts, the
troupe of teen actors have dual roles as peer educators and
counselors as they display the problems and pressures faced
by young adults when confronted with the challenges that
lead to adulthood.
To celebrate the history and essence of this program, the
event, “This Is It” was held at the Frederick Douglass
Community Association on Saturday, July 24 at 1:30 p.m.
Washington Muhammad, the program coordinator of S.E.T.T.,
cleared up some confusion with the title because many
thought it referred to the termination of the program since
it has been overlooked for funding from the city, state and
county for next year.
“What we mean by ‘this is it,’ is that there have always
been questions about S.E.T.T., about its relativity to our
young people as well as is it for all children or just black
children?,” Muhammad said. “Our answer to that is that as
far as a state-certified prevention program goes, if you’re
looking for an excellent model then this is it.”
An opening prayer and a welcome by Muhammad started the
event. He continued to talk of the history, mission and
vision of the SETT program.
The event took a turn to the personal level when Twyla Page,
the parent coordinator of S.E.T.T, told of her experiences
with working with the organization since it began and how it
affected her children. Her oldest daughter was one of the
first S.E.T.T. participants.
Page also commented on how parents need to be more involved
with their children in order to ensure their success in the
future.
“Not to be politically correct, but we live in a community
where we do not value black children,” Page said. “With
S.E.T.T., it gives them the strength to face the challenges
of the world. We need to stand up for all children,
especially black children.”
Former participants added to the memories of how S.E.T.T.
influenced their lives. One of these “graduates” was Greg
Campbell who joined the troupe at the age of 11. He went on
to comment how it gave him confidence, his “training” in the
program and how he gained a positive black male role model,
Charles Muhammad, the executive director of S.E.T.T.
Lavada Griswold,
lead prevention educator, described the significance of
tutoring within the program. She went to comment that
“homework is the number one priority and then it’s S.E.T.T.”
Lynne Hamer of the Padua House was an additional speaker—a
surprise to her as well as the audience.
She continued the message of parents staying involved in
their children’s activities and schooling. In addition, she
talked of the Padua House and its attempts to get students
back on track with education and out of suspension.
A presentation of self-defense was staged to show how these
moves could be used in everyday situations. Yvette Muhammad,
wife of Washington Muhammad, conducted this segment. Three
teens from the troupe were also involved to illustrate
proper execution of the karate moves.
Soon it was time for the performance from the teens. As a
special treat, one of the skits that was performed was
written by Campbell when he was a member of the troupe. It
was inspired by the death of his brother – one he had not
met before – due to violence and selling of drugs.
Along with the skits, there were plenty of raps, poetry and
dances to convey the message of making positive choices
towards activities, attitudes and adventures. They also
tackled the issues of alcohol abuse and being safe while
driving.
The event concluded with a circle formed by the audience and
all the participants. Charles Muhammad spoke of believing in
oneself and accessing that “power” within oneself. Parents
had the opportunity to introduce themselves and give an
input on how this program has helped their children.
With joined hands for a moment of prayer, the program was
completed.
“We wanted the community to know that our academic
excellence in our program shows our commitment to details
and also the type of young people that we produce,” Muhammad
said. “We will keep going with the program, but we always
need volunteers to help mentor, we need financial support
and prayers.”
S.E.T.T. is an organization that provides training through a
state-certified youth drug-prevention program. It has
trained over 5,000 young people and their families since it
was founded in 1984. |
