About Us
Since 1955, Junior Players has been empowering young voices by providing free, high quality, arts programming to North Texas children and youth.
Too many youth are silenced because of realities outside of their control. Income, language proficiency and school district funding can limit their ability to believe in themselves. Junior Players exists to encourage, empower, and enrich the lives of North Texas children and youth with the skills and abilities to confidently express themselves at home, in school, and in their professional lives.
WHO WE ARE
Since 1955, Junior Players has been encouraging intellectual growth, mental well-being, and the development of life skills in youth through mentoring, creative expression, and participation in the fine arts. We actualize this purpose by providing free, high-quality arts education programs in partnership with local recreation and cultural centers, low-income housing developments, schools, and social service agencies serving at-risk youth in underserved communities across North Texas.
We provide innovative arts education for FREE to children and youth in North Texas and beyond and through our programming, youth are transformed.
Our camps and afterschool programs are targeted to arts deserts - those areas that are underfunded and underserved. There, we engage children and youth through the arts, providing them with the tools they need to navigate real life challenges confidently and competently.
MISSION: Empowering Young Voices
The mission of Junior Players is to encourage intellectual growth, mental well-being and the development of life skills in youth through mentoring, creative expression, and participation in the fine arts.
VISION:
To be at the forefront of developing and delivering innovative youth arts education that celebrates diversity, promotes thought leadership, and meets communities’ needs.
HISTORY:
Junior Players was founded in 1955 and has striven to encourage, empower, and enrich the lives of as many children and youth through the arts as possible each year since then by tailoring programming to meet the specific needs of children ages 5 to 18.
Over its existence, Junior Players has endeavored to meet the changing needs of the community. From 1955 to 1989, Junior Players presented traditional children's theater productions performed entirely by children and teenagers. In 1989, the Board of Directors changed the focus of Junior Players activities, deciding that Junior Players can best serve the youth of Dallas by providing free programming accessible to all the children of North Texas. Through free, high quality, arts education programs in local recreation and cultural centers, housing projects, elementary and middle schools, and through social service agencies serving youth at risk, Junior Players continues to empower young voices.
EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Junior Players is open and available to all. We are committed to providing safe spaces for child and youth to learn, explore, grow and engage with one other, with freedom from discrimination, harassment or judgement.
We recognize that barriers to services exist for members of diverse communities, particularly for equity-seeking groups, and we are committed to acting as a positive force in eliminating these barriers. To achieve this, Junior Players is committed to:
- Ensuring diverse communities have equitable access to our services, resources and decision-making
- Remaining non-discriminatory and promoting the goals of anti-racism, access and equity
- Taking reasonable steps to ensure our services, programs and decision-making reflect the communities we serve
