A Bridge to a Better You
Our mission is to reduce youth isolation and improve social, emotional, and behavioral well-being in a safe and supportive environment through peer engagement and improv-based learning experiences.
Our vision is for young people to develop the 7 C’s through our program: Courage, Confidence, Composure, Compassion, Curiosity, Communication, Community.
These qualities are designed to support young people throughout everyday life, relationships, school, and future opportunities. See how they form the bridge.
We believe young people thrive when they experience:
Every workshop builds seven qualities — the 7 C's. Each one is an arch; by the end, they hold.
Take the healthy risk. The first arch only exists once you step toward it.
Trust your voice. The second arch holds — because he built the first.
Steady in the moment. The water below stops being scary.
See each other. Halfway across, the sky starts to change.
Ask “what if?” — the question every arch is made of.
Listen, then build. The far bank is close enough to hear now.
Belong together. Someone's waiting on the other side.
The Humor Bridge combines the teachings of improvisation with principles from evidence-based practices to create engaging youth development experiences that strengthen confidence, communication, collaboration, resilience, and a greater sense of belonging. Developed through years of practical experience, the curriculum was further refined through doctoral research at the University of Southern California (USC), where the program was successfully piloted as part of Dr. Anthony Owliaie’s Doctorate in Social Work.
As The Humor Bridge grows, participant experiences, community feedback, and ongoing program evaluation will continue to inform our continuous quality improvement process. By listening, learning, and adapting, we strive to ensure the program remains responsive to the evolving needs of the youth, schools, and communities we serve while remaining grounded in our mission and core curriculum.
Dr. Anthony Owliaie (Dr. O) is a licensed psychotherapist, social worker, public speaker, improvisational comedy teacher, and performer with nearly two decades of experience working with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families across a wide range of clinical and community settings. Outside of his clinical work, he has studied improv since 2005, performed since 2007, and taught diverse populations since 2008.
While serving as the director of a Day Treatment program for at-risk youth, Dr. O began integrating improv into his work and witnessed its powerful impact on engagement, confidence, and connection beyond the comedy. Inspired by these experiences, he later conducted doctoral research at the University of Southern California (USC) exploring how improvisation can support youth development, ultimately developing the curriculum that became the foundation of The Humor Bridge.
Today, he combines his expertise in mental health, education, and improvisation to help individuals build confidence, strengthen relationships, and develop the skills needed to thrive.
Constance Haddad · Alfonso Garcia · Scott Thom