WHERE VETERANS THRIVE THROUGH THE ARTS

Veteran Jake Boggs participates in the ASAP Operation: Improv class

The Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) fosters creative communities where veterans and their families thrive through the arts.

ASAP provides free, research-backed visual and performing arts classes that improve veterans’ resilience, self-esteem, and belonging. We’re much more than a classroom — we’re an inclusive, nationwide community.

To step into an ASAP program is to enter into a sacred space. A space for teens to nonagenarians, first-time creators to seasoned artists, military family members to Marines, and everyone in between.

Though the backgrounds and experiences of the students may be different, they are united by a common purpose: to develop new skills, share their stories, and do something that likely scares the sh*t out of them. From this group of individuals materializes a village — a collective, a community, or, as one of our alumni put it, something “damn-near family.”

Jake Boggs, a US Navy veteran, learned how to use improv to thrive in his personal relationships and as an effective tool for reintegrating into the civilian workforce in a post-military career. He reflects on his ASAP experience:

“I’m 51 and I got married for the first time last summer. The basics of the improv ‘yes, and’ orientation have made my communication pathways stronger, less confrontational, and have enhanced my relationship with my better half.

The toolkit I’ve developed from improv has been invaluable in my professional life, too. My work can be very fluid and some of my clients can be very difficult. My improv skills have helped me navigate stressful professional situations and have given me techniques to de-escalate conflicts.

And, improv has helped me unlearn a lot of the coping mechanisms that helped me in the military, but hurt me in civilian life. It has taught me that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness, and that it’s part of a healthy masculinity, not something that should be avoided. This has allowed me to remove layers of my armor, communicate at a more personal and human level, and forge deeper bonds with others.”

Thanks to your generosity, veterans like Jake can explore free classes across artforms like comedy, storytelling, writing, acting, improv, and drawing.

Your generous donation to ASAP will help us continue providing veterans meaningful, growth-oriented opportunities to explore the arts at no cost while building self-confidence and resiliency in a community many veterans thought they’d lost.

Charity Name
Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP)
Photo Caption
Veteran Jake Boggs participates in the ASAP Operation: Improv class
Photo Credit
Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP)