TAMPA, Fla. — There are action-packed assemblies crafted to get kids interested in things often not talked about in local schools.

This week, Lead U, a group of teaching artists with The Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide, is working in North Tampa schools to help kids get in touch with their emotions, friends, being kind and dealing with conflicts.

The one-hour assemblies are crafted toward their young audiences, filled with music, dancing and interactive games.

Lead U Director J.D. Wilson says he built his program to grab kids’ attention, keep them engaged and help them focus on dealing with conflicts.

“You don’t want it to be too late in the game, where they have already been programmed a certain way, they are already thinking a certain way, or they have a certain expectation or stigma going in to middle school,” said Wilson.

The high-energy presentations will be given at Benito Middle School on Thursday and Friday, and have already taken place at Heritage Elementary School, Pride Elementary and Tampa Palms.

Third-grader Layla Smith sat in the program geared toward her class at Heritage Elementary this week, and says she wasn’t expecting such a fun assembly.

“I learned how to keep yourself from like making bigger situations when there is a situation you don’t like being in, and you can learn how you can stop that.”

Lead U is based in New Jersey, but has visited schools in Canada and England, and is now branching out across the U.S.

The team was brought to Tampa schools through a donation from Hailey’s Voice of Hope, a mental health awareness nonprofit located in Tampa and the Joshua Kernohan Memorial Fund.

View more information on the Lead U crew and their presentations.