Stand Up was established in 2008 to provide holistic social and life skills training to at-promise youth, with the goal of creating a community free from violence where individuals become fulfilled, productive members of society.  Stand Up uses arts based education to nurture social and emotional competencies in at-promise youth, equipping them to meet life’s challenges.  The curriculum is a social skills-infused arts based program that teaches children not just social skills, but life-long skills. Empowering children with life skills creates opportunities for them to have productive futures, in turn reducing community violence as children are able to turn away from the lure of gang lifestyles and drug culture.   Using the arts, movement, music, and healthy food preparation as tools to improve self-esteem, promote self-awareness, and inspire academic achievement, we expand participants’ knowledge of possibility for themselves and their communities. 

Stand Up grew out of the success of the life skills program Playing the Game of Life®, an arts-based social and emotional learning curriculum that has been successfully operating in private schools, afterschool care facilities, and the Boys and Girls Club of Miami-Dade since 2007.   Students enrolled in the program experienced a dramatic increase in positive self-expression and academic success, and a notable drop in violent behavior and bullying.  As the success of the curriculum grew, organizations serving youth at-risk of drug use, violence, and crime became eager to have Playing the Game of Life® provided to their clients.  Recognizing the vital need for life skills programming in high crime zip codes, foster care facilities, and juvenile justice institutions, the creator of Playing the Game of Life® established a 501(c)(3) to provide the program to social service organizations at no cost.  The founder envisioned using the curriculum as both a program to empower individuals to lead productive lives as well as a catalyst to heal communities ravaged by violent crime, illiteracy, and unemployment.

Stand Up is currently an all volunteer organization, and serves over 700 youth in Miami-Dade county.  For information about how to bring our programs to your site, please visit our contact us page.