Sycamore Rouge sponsors a variety of educational and community-oriented activities and outreach programs, in an effort to support our mission to build and strengthen the community through the arts, and to educate our community and its children.

In September of 2005, Sycamore Rouge began hosting an afternoon/evening Next Generation Artist Series, a new program designed to give opportunity and voice to the Petersburg area’s young and emerging artists. Every Wednesday, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm, students from Petersburg High School, Appomattox Regional Governor’s School, Colonial Heights High School, and schools in Prince George, Matoaca, and Dinwiddie (to name several) are invited to share their talents in an open-mic/coffee house environment on the stage at Sycamore Rouge. Each Artist Series consists of two performance sets, with a half hour break between each set.  A post-performance feedback and discussion session is available for interested students. Coffee, Sodas, and Light snacks are available for the students to enjoy while they experience their peers’ work.

The students' work may include 3 to 5 minutes of:
Poetry
Short Stories
Monologue and Scene Work (both published and self-written)
Self- written Instrumental and Vocal Compositions 
Improvisational or Stand-Up Comedy
Self-Choreographed Individual and Group Dance Performance
Other Fun Forms of Performance Art 

Contact Director of Education KB Saine at 804-957-5707 ext 103 for more information or to get involved.

In spring 2004, Sycamore Rouge implemented the first step of its educational programming under the umbrella of The Southside Virginia Family YMCA. The children who take part in the YMCA's Childcare Program at Blandford Elementary got to work with representatives of Sycamore Rouge each week. Sycamore Rouge's mission in working with these children, ranging in age from 5 to 11, was to aid them in matters of communication, leadership building, and discipline. Through improvisational games and scene work, the kids learned to follow and give instructions, describe events, and tell stories--all of which have been identified as essential skills for the Standards of Learning (SOL's) tests.

Sycamore Rouge will continue to expand our programs in an effort to reach each and every school in the Petersburg Public School System. Along with our interactive learning program, we will further expose the students to the arts by bringing plays and guest artists to their classrooms.

Please check back soon to track the exciting development of our educational programming!