City Step Strides For Social Justice

City Step Strides For Social Justice

CityStep is a non profit organization that pairs college students with local school children to expose them to the creative arts, specifically dance, at a young age to foster their creativity, self expression, and community through movement. The organization began in 1984 by a student at Harvard University named Sabrina Peck, and it has since expanded to several other schools such as the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Yale University, the University of Chicago, and more. The students at these schools primarily serve communities who lack access to creative outlets, and CityStep focuses to spread the values and inspire generations through the art of movement. 

I had the opportunity to work with Sabrina Peck, the founder of CityStep, volunteer for the organization alongside college students, and gain a deeper insight into the inner workings of the foundation. 
On Sunday, February 9th, an event took place in New York City where a large group of volunteers from various CityStep chapters came together for a collaborative workshop. The gathering served as an opportunity to reconnect with the organization’s core values, reflect on the impact of arts education, and prepare for upcoming sessions with the children. Through discussions and interactive exercises, volunteers reinforced their understanding of CityStep’s mission. 

That day with CityStep, I took part in a series of workshops where students led movement exercises linked to the key principles at CityStep. Through these exercises, we engaged in thoughtful discussions about how each movement reflected CityStep’s foundational values: emphasizing creativity, self-expression, and community. Through these sessions, I saw firsthand how dance could be a powerful tool for self-expression and community building.

Additionally, I attended a workshop led by a senior-professional dance teacher, who taught us the different approaches to teaching and how those approaches can transform the learning experience. This workshop emphasized the importance of teaching styles, adapting them to meet the needs of students, and creating an environment where creativity and collaboration can foster.

Finally, we broke up into groups to discuss themes within books and explore how those themes could be represented through dance. I joined a group of students from Columbia University, and we explored the themes through a historical-fiction book about World War II. This exercise challenged us to think critically and creatively about storytelling through movement, reinforcing the idea that dance can convey emotions and ideas in a powerful way that is difficult to replicate verbally. Working through these discussions and activities, I gained a deeper appreciation for the mission of CityStep and the transformative power of creative expression.

One of the key takeaways from my experience with CityStep was the impact that creative movement can have on individuals, particularly children. It is clear to me that dance is not just an art form but a tool for personal expression and social change. Through the workshops, I learned how movement fosters confidence, encourages collaboration, and provides non verbal self-expression. It also highlighted the importance of community particularly within the CityStep organization seeing how they operate. Volunteering with people of students from diverse backgrounds highlighted the power of bringing together different perspectives to create a shared mission. Ultimately, CityStep taught me that the arts have the power to shape individuals in ways that are not provided in traditional education, with CityStep offering a form of expression that is accessible to all.