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Faith's Place final rehearsals highlight arts access for low‑income youth
Summary
At Faith's Place, end‑of‑summer rehearsals showcased a summer arts program led by Director Doctor Noble Lockhart Mays that provides free or low‑cost instruction to many children from underserved families; alumni return to mentor current participants.
Rehearsals for Faith's Place’s end‑of‑summer show brought high school performers together for a last run through the program, where director Doctor Noble Lockhart Mays said the center combines rigorous instruction with care to prepare students for the future. "We are not perfect. I get it. But we have a standard of what? Excellence. We have a standard of excellence," Doctor Mays said, adding that what some call "tough love" is her way of preparing young people for adult life.
The program serves families with limited resources: "A lot of our students that you see here in summer camp, they pay nothing," Doctor Mays said. That access is one reason former participants return as role models, organizers and volunteers. Former students identified in the footage include college student Cameron Phillips and Jordan Mango, who is pursuing a master’s degree; both were described as frequent visitors who come back to inspire younger participants.
A former participant in the program said the experience exposed them to new musical styles and instruments: "They taught me about, music in different genres, how to express my feelings through music." Another participant described Faith's Place as an alternative to negative influences in the neighborhood and said it provided a nonjudgmental environment and positive mentors.
Faith's Place director Doctor Mays — who recently completed a doctorate in education — noted that some students have attended the center since early childhood, including her daughter Faith, who is about 20 years old. The program emphasizes both arts skills and academics, and alumni visits are presented as part of the center’s effort to encourage younger students toward higher education and careers in the arts and social services. One high school participant said, "My plan for the future, I hope to be, a Broadway actress when I get older, but I do wanna study social work."
The final rehearsal scenes were framed as both performance preparation and mentorship: older students helped younger ones with stagecraft while staff reinforced expectations for behavior and academic effort. The report includes footage and voiceover by Cheryl Conn of WPB TV.
