REGISTER NOW!
The 2026 E.L.E.C.T. Teen Summit, hosted by Community Care Development Network (CCDN) in partnership with The F.I.L.E.S. Arts Project (TFAP), will take place on Saturday, June 27, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at
1920 Old Springville Road in Center Point, Alabama.
The event features teen empowerment workshops, a community lunch, and a high‑energy Fun Day with games, music, food, and giveaways. Parents can participate in on‑site support sessions including Parents Helping Parents and Sister Circle.
~ Attendees may enter to win a $500 rent or utility assistance prize. ~
Registration is FREE at: https://form.jotform.com/260967544310155
1920 Old Springville Road in Center Point, Alabama.
The event features teen empowerment workshops, a community lunch, and a high‑energy Fun Day with games, music, food, and giveaways. Parents can participate in on‑site support sessions including Parents Helping Parents and Sister Circle.
~ Attendees may enter to win a $500 rent or utility assistance prize. ~
Registration is FREE at: https://form.jotform.com/260967544310155
Get to know the Movement workshop
Teaching Artists
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Kat Files is a Birmingham, Alabama native and New York City–based dance artist, educator, and arts leader whose work spans performance, education, and community engagement. She trained at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and earned her BFA in Dance from the Ailey/Fordham University Program as a four-year Glorya Kaufman Foundation Dance Scholar. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in Digital Marketing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is a member of the inaugural cohort of The Ailey School’s Horton Technique Teacher Certification Program. In 2025, she received the Women in the Arts & Media Coalition Collaboration Award for her choreography in DUSK!.
As an educator, Kat has taught nationally with organizations including Ailey Arts In Education, the Misty Copeland Foundation BE BOLD Initiative, University of |
Connecticut Stamford, Girls Inc., Samford University, and the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) Conference. Kat is the Founder and Executive Director of The F.I.L.E.S. Arts Project (TFAP), a Birmingham-based nonprofit providing free arts education to underserved youth, and previously served as Director of Education at EMERGE125, where she led educational programming and strategic partnerships.
As a performer, Kat has worked with choreographers including Germaul Barnes, Tiffany Rea-Fisher, Ebony Williams, and Sidra Bell and performed with organizations including the Classical Theatre of Harlem and EMERGE125. Her credits include The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Gotham, Deception, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and New York Fashion Week. She is represented by MMG and Parts Models and is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity Association.
As a performer, Kat has worked with choreographers including Germaul Barnes, Tiffany Rea-Fisher, Ebony Williams, and Sidra Bell and performed with organizations including the Classical Theatre of Harlem and EMERGE125. Her credits include The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Gotham, Deception, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and New York Fashion Week. She is represented by MMG and Parts Models and is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity Association.
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Michael Charles (he/him) is a native of Birmingham, Alabama, but now resides in New York City. He attended The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where he was a double major in Theater & Dance. He's been in a host of regional theater productions around the United States. Select credits: A Chorus Line (Phoenix Theatre Company), Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids (Denver Center for the Performing Arts) & The Color Purple (Ivoryton Playhouse). He’s also been a company dancer at AROVA Contemporary Ballet, Background Vocalist for recording artists, Brandy, Billy Porter, The War & Treaty (Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade), Production Cast Principal (Singer-Dancer) for Norwegian Cruise Lines & is an award winning instructor & choreographer for various competitive dance teams & performing arts institutions in the southeast.
IG: MichaelXCharless |
As part of CCDN’s E.L.E.C.T. Teen Summit, TFAP’s Community Movement Workshops are funded and made possible by the City of Birmingham and administered by Create Birmingham.
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