Since 2023, the Quick Center has provided workshops to students at the Bridgeport Juvenile Detention and Residential Center, filling a need for hands-on learning experiences through the arts.
Supporting Students in Need
The Bridgeport Juvenile Detention and Residential Center (BJDC), located not too far from Fairfield University, is home to students—all male—between the ages of 13 to 17. The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts first partnered with the BJDC to offer poetry and other workshops led by touring artists.
“Art should be accessible for everyone,” said Katie Lang, manager of engagement initiatives at the Quick Center. “Working with these artists, the boys experience social and emotional learning through play and connection.”
Circus Workshops Build Skills and Teamwork
Most recently, the Quick Center developed a new curriculum with circus artist and educator Cynthia Rauschert. With an MS in therapeutic recreation, Rauschert has experience instructing a wide range of ages, abilities, and learning styles.
Drawing on approaches used in circus arts education—which are known to engage diverse learners and promote social-emotional, physical, and cognitive gains—the program focuses on skill-building and teamwork.
Rauschert’s monthly workshops with 15 students began in October 2025 and will continue through June 2026. Equipment is provided so students can continue practicing between sessions.
"The Quick Center family provides community engagement for our boys,” said Ca’Tisha Howard, school principal at BJDC. “The activities they bring are artistic and creative. It diversifies our students’ day.”
Enrichment to Fill the Gap
In working with the BJDC, the Quick Center team realized that the boys lacked enrichment activities during school breaks. To fill the need, this year a Spring Break Camp will be offered, co-taught by Rauschert and circus artist Janoah Bailin, who is scheduled to perform at the Quick Center on April 11.
“The exposure [our students] gain from meeting new people and engaging in activities allows them to visualize opportunities within the community upon release,” said Principal Howard. “It gives them hope because it shows that they still matter and someone else cares about their well-being and future.”
The BJDC partnership is part of the Quick Center’s Arts for All program, which provides high-caliber arts learning and experiences to K-12th grade students, with particular focus on under-resourced communities.
