Welcome to The COOL Cooperative!
We are a youth-focused film education program dedicated to empowering Louisiana students grades 6-12. We provide a safe, stable, and engaging environment where students can find their voice and learn to express themselves through the art of filmmaking.
COOL Academy is an innovative enrichment program designed to engage scholars through creativity, storytelling, and hands-on learning. By combining arts, media production, and project-based education, scholars explore new ideas, develop critical thinking and literacy skills, and express themselves in meaningful ways. COOL Academy creates a learning environment that values curiosity and empowers scholars to become confident creators, collaborators, problem-solvers, and communicators.
A Creative Approach to Learning
At the heart of COOL Academy is the belief that scholars learn best as active participants in their learning. While there are moments of direct instruction, seatwork, and lecture, our program uses creative storytelling, film, and hands-on activities to bring lessons to life.
Learning opportunities include:
• Collaborative creation of short films, music videos, commercials/PSAs, and other digital media projects
• Story development and screenwriting
• Heritage documentation
• Foundational technical skills in production
Project-Based and Student-Centered
COOL Academy emphasizes project-based learning, wherein student collaboration is central in researching ideas, developing concepts, and producing creative projects from ideation to completion. This approach allows scholars to take ownership of their film education. Scholars are encouraged to ask questions, share perspectives, and experiment with new creative tools. By working together in a supportive environment, they learn how to give and receive feedback, refine their ideas, and celebrate the achievements of their peers.
Connecting Creativity and Real-World Skills
Our program is designed to nurture artistic vision and help scholars build practical skills that will benefit them academically and professionally. Scholars gain experience in areas such as:
• Storytelling and communication
• Media literacy and digital production
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Creative problem-solving
• Presentation and public speaking
These experiences help scholars develop confidence in their ideas and prepare them to thoughtfully engage with the world around them.
Supporting Educators and Schools
COOL Academy works closely with schools and educators to provide programming that complement classroom learning while introducing scholars to new forms of creative expression. Lessons and projects are designed to be adaptable, allowing facilitators to connect activities to broader educational goals and curricular themes.
The program also supports educators by providing structured lessons, creative resources, and guidance that make it easy to implement engaging activities
with scholars.
Building Confidence Through Creativity
Perhaps the greatest impact of COOL Academy is the sense of confidence and pride scholars develop as they create and share their work. By giving scholars a platform to express their ideas and collaborate with others, the program helps them see themselves as capable creators with unique voices that can be used to foster connections with their peers and communities.
Meet Our Education Coordinator--Erika Dickerson-Despenza
Erika Dickerson-Despenza is a multi-award-winning writer, cultural memory worker, and farmer. She is the creator & inaugural resident of The Ntozake Shange Social Justice Playwriting Residency in partnership with The Public Theater, Barnard College & the Shange Trust. Erika is also the independent steward of The Daughters Table, a 14-acre regenerative organic farm & herbiary in South Central Louisiana. Productions: shadow/land (The Public Theater, 2023), cullud wattah (The Public Theater, 2021), [hieroglyph] (San Francisco Playhouse/Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 2021). Select Awards: Jane Chambers Playwriting Award (2024), PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award (2023), Drama Desk Nominee for Best Play (2022), Outer Critics Circle’s John Gassner Award Nominee (2022), Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (2021), Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award (2020), Lilly Award (2020) Grist 50 Fixer (2020), Princess Grace Playwriting Award (2019).
As a sixth generation New Orleans resident and eighth generation Louisianan, she is excited to bolster Louisiana's cultural economy by developing curricula that foster the artistic excellence and reinforce literacy skills so young people can thrive in the film industry.