Curious Comedy Police Training
Tax deductible
CURIOUS COMEDY POLICE TRAINING? WHAT?!?!
Recently, I posted on Facebook about how I was contacted by a local police department wondering if Curious Comedy could provide them with improvisers to help train a kinder, more compassionate police force.
Improvisers would act out scenarios officers might encounter in real life and give them an opportunity to react in a simulated situation and safe environment. Plus, improv teaches people how to listen and work together better as well.
Right now, many police departments work only with well-meaning but unskilled volunteers because they have zero budget to hire professionals for this kind of training. Professional improvisers improve the quality of training significantly.
Our team at Curious decided that we could donate some hours to this worthy cause. As a small non-profit organization with limited resources, however, we can only do so much for free, but clearly, this is an opportunity for positive action toward change.
In my Facebook post, I was lamenting that there isn't more money in the system to support programs like this. If I had all the money in the world, I'd do right by it. So much good, important work to be done.
And the response from Facebook was incredible. Immediately, I had people asking how they could help - whether by making donations, offering their time or helping to spread the word. I've even been contacted by improv leaders from other cities offering to lend their help with developing and/or the implementing the program in Portland and across the country.
So, I created this Go Fund Me Page to see if we can plant this seed and watch it grow.
WHY CURIOUS COMEDY POLICE TRAINING?
The skills and experience of Curious Comedy are a perfect match with the need for empathy, listening, and communication skill training that can help our police connect with our communities. We use improvisation to give all types of professionals practice interacting with the kinds of people and situations they are likely to encounter in their lines of work. We've helped train doctors improve their bedside manner. It was amazing to see them learn how to communicate with more sensitivity and compassion by having the opportunity to try different approaches in a simulated situation. I can't imagine a better and more timely program than one designed to bridge the divide between our police and our citizens.
CAN I TRUST CURIOUS WITH MY DONATION?
Curious has a proven track record of responsible spending and has successfully completed almost a dozen grants for our operations and outreach programs. Additionally, Curious is a 501(c)(3) registered charity, so all contributions will be tax-deductible.
Our mission at Curious Comedy is to improve people's lives through the art of comedy. We do that through our shows, classes and outreach programs. We work to improve literacy in underperforming schools, to improve the quality of life for seniors living with Alzheimer's, and to promote women in the male-dominated comedy industry. This program is squarely in line with our mission.
WHERE WILL MY MONEY GO?
The money we raise here will go directly into designing, developing, coordinating and implementing a training program (with the assistance of police training professionals) for kinder, more compassionate police officers.
I'm estimating it will take $5000 to get the program on its feet. Any money raised beyond that amount will increase the number of police departments we can reach as this program is entirely scalable based on the amount of money we raise.
CAN THIS PROGRAM MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
This program will be universally applicable across police departments anywhere. Curious has relationships with theaters in cities all over the country. Once we create the model here locally, we can implement it nationally with the help of our extensive improv community. I truly believe this could be the start of something big. Something good. Something important. And something sorely needed in our world today.
So please contribute, and please share our campaign.
Recently, I posted on Facebook about how I was contacted by a local police department wondering if Curious Comedy could provide them with improvisers to help train a kinder, more compassionate police force.
Improvisers would act out scenarios officers might encounter in real life and give them an opportunity to react in a simulated situation and safe environment. Plus, improv teaches people how to listen and work together better as well.
Right now, many police departments work only with well-meaning but unskilled volunteers because they have zero budget to hire professionals for this kind of training. Professional improvisers improve the quality of training significantly.
Our team at Curious decided that we could donate some hours to this worthy cause. As a small non-profit organization with limited resources, however, we can only do so much for free, but clearly, this is an opportunity for positive action toward change.
In my Facebook post, I was lamenting that there isn't more money in the system to support programs like this. If I had all the money in the world, I'd do right by it. So much good, important work to be done.
And the response from Facebook was incredible. Immediately, I had people asking how they could help - whether by making donations, offering their time or helping to spread the word. I've even been contacted by improv leaders from other cities offering to lend their help with developing and/or the implementing the program in Portland and across the country.
So, I created this Go Fund Me Page to see if we can plant this seed and watch it grow.
WHY CURIOUS COMEDY POLICE TRAINING?
The skills and experience of Curious Comedy are a perfect match with the need for empathy, listening, and communication skill training that can help our police connect with our communities. We use improvisation to give all types of professionals practice interacting with the kinds of people and situations they are likely to encounter in their lines of work. We've helped train doctors improve their bedside manner. It was amazing to see them learn how to communicate with more sensitivity and compassion by having the opportunity to try different approaches in a simulated situation. I can't imagine a better and more timely program than one designed to bridge the divide between our police and our citizens.
CAN I TRUST CURIOUS WITH MY DONATION?
Curious has a proven track record of responsible spending and has successfully completed almost a dozen grants for our operations and outreach programs. Additionally, Curious is a 501(c)(3) registered charity, so all contributions will be tax-deductible.
Our mission at Curious Comedy is to improve people's lives through the art of comedy. We do that through our shows, classes and outreach programs. We work to improve literacy in underperforming schools, to improve the quality of life for seniors living with Alzheimer's, and to promote women in the male-dominated comedy industry. This program is squarely in line with our mission.
WHERE WILL MY MONEY GO?
The money we raise here will go directly into designing, developing, coordinating and implementing a training program (with the assistance of police training professionals) for kinder, more compassionate police officers.
I'm estimating it will take $5000 to get the program on its feet. Any money raised beyond that amount will increase the number of police departments we can reach as this program is entirely scalable based on the amount of money we raise.
CAN THIS PROGRAM MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
This program will be universally applicable across police departments anywhere. Curious has relationships with theaters in cities all over the country. Once we create the model here locally, we can implement it nationally with the help of our extensive improv community. I truly believe this could be the start of something big. Something good. Something important. And something sorely needed in our world today.
So please contribute, and please share our campaign.
Organizer
Stacey Hallal
Organizer
Portland, OR
CURIOUS COMEDY PRODUCTIONS
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
