alysha herrmann

Artist, Blogger, Concerned citizen, Educator/Teacher, Filmmaker, Idea generator, Parent, Performer, Student, Writer/Editor

Alysha Herrmann is a proud parent and regional artist working across disciplines in the arts, community development and education to develop work which respects and enriches both the audience and her creative collaborators. Alysha is also currently completing a Teaching/Arts degree externally and is the 2011 South Australian Young Citizen of the Year and recipient of the 2011 Advantage SA Sony Centre Arts Award for the Riverland & Murraylands region. Along the road Alysha has been a high school dropout, teenage mum, single parent, waitress, artist, student, sewing machinist, blogger, dishwasher, community facilitator, speaker and many other things in between. Alysha believes in the role of arts and cultural activities in building community morale and inspiration and is committed to social justice outcomes in everything she does as a parent, employee, volunteer and passionate community member. As a theatre practitioner, Alysha is a writer, director, performer and facilitator and was an inaugural Australia Council JUMP Mentee in 2010. Alysha is currently developing PressureLands - an independent community arts performance project working with young people 14-26 exploring pressure and success (Writer/Director) and is the 2012 recipient of the Independent Arts Foundation Creative Writing Mentorship working with award winning playwright Caleb Lewis as her mentor in 2012. For more information on Alysha’s work (artistic and otherwise) visit http://alyshaherrmann.wordpress.com Recent Highlights: •Shortlisted for 2012 Australian Poetry Cafe Poets Program • Recently announced as the 2012 recipient of the Independent Arts Foundation Creative Writing Mentorship to work with award winning playwright Caleb Lewis in 2012; •Completed Certificate VI in Youth Work • Winner of the 2011 Advantage SA Sony Centre Arts Award for the Riverland & Mallee; • Working as an Ongoing Script Assessor for the Short + Sweet Play Festival; • As ‘PressureLands’ writer/director & lead artist successfully securing over $50,000 of cash and in-kind sponsorship, engaging with over 600 young people as part of Stage 1 community consultations in 2010 and nominated for a 2011 ‘Project’ Advantage SA Award in ‘Youth’ and ‘Arts’ categories; • KeyNote Speaker, Unlocking Wellbeing MindMatters Conference June 2011: ‘What it means to belong: Resilience, mistakes & instincts in building a better future. • Guest Speaker at Governor's Queen's Birthday Reception South Australia ‘Women as Agents of Change' June 2011 • Celebrating Riverland Youth Theatre’s 25th birthday (2010) with 2 works inspired by my concepts ‘LetterBanks' (Curator) and ‘160 Characters’ (Curator & Director); • Selection as an inaugural Australia Council JUMP Mentee – 1 of only 36 emerging artists from across the country selected from over 160 applicants; • By invitation working as a 2010 Adelaide Fringe official Theatre Assessor and securing funding to support living away from home for 15 days; • Performing in emerging Choreographer Kelly Wegener’s devised movement work ‘Torn’ as part of PlayFest_10; • Invitation to attend World Interplay as an Australian Delegate – a bi-annual 14 day intensive workshop for emerging playwrights from across the globe in 2009; •Alysha’s play 'The Trees' performed by Canberra Youth Theatre & Urban Myth Theatre of Youth in 2009; • Riverland Youth Theatre’s commission of my play ‘Duplicity’ performed at PlayFest_09

Engaging young people with active citizenship to become empowered, connected and resilient adults. Arts & Cultural Development & Social Justice outcomes

There is nothing you can screw up so badly that it should steal the rest of your life from you - Alysha Herrmann Also see - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VQaIqCMt1s

Community Development, education, sociology, youth development, Youth Theatre

I've yet to attend an official TED or TEDx event as I live in a regional (and relatively isolated) community however I regularly view and share TED talks online. My favourite TED talks are those by Brene Brown and Sir Ken Robinson.