Today we welcomed fellow Elkhart Rotarian and President-Elect, Julie Cotton for some belated April Fool's Day fun, presenting "April Fool's Improv... No Foolin'".
Aside from being our club's current President Elect (among many roles in our club's leadership), Julie is the creator and founder of Next Level Improv. Today she shared her passion for engagement and boundless enthusiasm by getting our club members up and active! In the category of "a picture tells a thousand words", enjoy the fun photos of our club members from today...
About Next Level Improv:
IN Fall of 2016, Next Level Improv, LLC was born. In the midst of a 3-year project with a Recovery and Mental Health Center in South Florida. One of the Owners- a dear friend of mine, Phil Diaz, approached me about bringing Improv into one of his facilities as supplemental programming for clients undergoing in-patient treatment.
IN Fall of 2016, Next Level Improv, LLC was born. In the midst of a 3-year project with a Recovery and Mental Health Center in South Florida. One of the Owners- a dear friend of mine, Phil Diaz, approached me about bringing Improv into one of his facilities as supplemental programming for clients undergoing in-patient treatment.
We started once a month while other modalities were also being sampled by the patient populations as to their efficacy, benefit to staff and clients as well as overall enjoyment. Of the other disciplines introduced, Improv was one of the favorites! We soon bumped up to once a week. Staff, Therapists, Students, Caseworkers all noticed improved communication and self expression both individually and peer to peer.
During this 3-year period, I also began training to be a Transformational Leadership Trainer and saw direct correlations between Accelerated Learning Techniques, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Transformational & Personal Development Distinctions and the Technology of Improv. Next Level Improv was created out of this union. I saw clearly the synergy between disciplines and Founded a vehicle to carry the vision out to the world.
A statement from Julie: "When I was 9 years old, a troupe of touring Actors came into my middle school in Phoenix, AZ and transported me to a world of Make Believe- sets, costumes, music, characters and transformed my school gymnasium into a whole world of possibilities! That day I declared, “I wanna do THAT when I grow up!” Twelve years later, I worked for THAT company and toured with them for 5 seasons bringing theater arts into the lives and minds of youth all over the Southwest! I saw the tangible power that confidence, clear vision, creativity, and unlocking the imagination of my inner child could have in my life! When do we stop allowing that inner child to create worlds on our behalf? My vision is to inspire people to DREAM and PLAY again- specifically by putting practical tools into their hands, hearts and minds that connect them directly to their most creative inner Self. How I do that is through Improv Technology."