Our Program
At Boulder Young Chautauqua, our students bring history to life. From January to May, they research their character, write and memorize a first person monologue, and finally perform in front of an audience. Young Chautauqua helps students develop skills in research, synthesizing data, creative writing, critical thinking, public speaking, improvisation, and performance. Students also learn about history through their character's eyes.
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Meetings are held from 4:30 to 6:00 on Wednesdays from January through April. There will be a mix of Zoom meetings and in person, masked meetings.
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With two years of virtual YC under our belts, and we’re confident that we can bring YC to Zoom without losing what makes this program special (and fun!). As always, we are incredibly grateful to the amazing program Colorado Humanities, whose support makes Boulder Young Chautauqua's continuation possible.
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Please see our Videos & Photo Gallery for examples of Young Chautauqua performances, and our FAQs and Overview of a YC Project for more information. Feel free to contact us any time, we're happy to answer any questions you have about the Young Chautauqua program. We hope to see you at our meetings!
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Artwork by Alexander Zavorotny
Testimonials
Boulder Young Chautauqua has provided so much value to my daughter…The group mentors have found a way to break down the assignments into such doable chunks while providing constructive help, feedback and support, that my daughter was able to learn all these skills while never feeling overwhelmed. ~A.M. (Parent of a Young Chautauqua student)
So many people commented on how poised and well-spoken my daughter was at her bat mitzvah. I KNOW it is because she has learned both how to write an engaging speech and how to present to an audience from all her work with Y.C. She wasn’t nervous at all. These skills will serve her well all her life~ J. (Parent of a Young Chautauqua student)
Meet Our Staff
Melanie Rosenberg: Director
Melanie was in Boulder Young Chautauqua for seven years, two of them as student leader, before becoming the program’s Director in 2019. She is a recent graduate of Front Range Community College, an editor of the award-winning literary magazine Howl, and was the Vice President of her college's writing club for two years.
As Director, Melanie facilitates all meetings and helps prepare students for their performances.
Jane Rosenberg: Administrator
Jane is a homeschooling mom and like the rest of her family, is involved in the running of the Boulder Young Chautauqua program. As an administrator, she finds performance venues/audiences and helps out behind the scenes.
Casey Rosenberg: Assistant Director
In addition to participating in her ninth, and final, year of Boulder Young Chautauqua, Casey is the program’s Assistant Director. Casey leads students in acting games, corresponds with parents, and recruits new Young Chautauqua students. She is currently working towards an advanced costuming certificate and has her own balloon twisting business
Chris Jensen: Administrator
Chris directed Boulder Young Chautauqua from 2008 - 2018 staying long after her children left the program, before stepping back to become an administrator. She is currently a consultant for Boulder Young Chautauqua, coordinates with our sponsor Colorado Humanities, and provided the original drafts of the information found on our website.