Feeling anxious is all too common, and improv offers a surprising way to help youth build skills and resilience to navigate its impact. With youth anxiety on the rise, this session explores how improvisation, a non-scripted performance art, can help young people build strengths across multiple life dimensions, cultivating confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging. Drawing on research from drama therapy and improv training, participants will engage in playful, evidence-informed practices to enhance emotional resilience, quiet self-judgment, tolerate uncertainty, and foster growth. Participants will learn how performance arts empower youth from diverse identities and backgrounds to navigate anxiety, grow mental health, and thrive in school and community settings.
