Iowa Nonprofit Celebrates Youth Improv Camp With Final Showcase

Yesandia is an Iowa-based nonprofit that seeks to get kids all over the area on stage, or more experienced with improv in Iowa. This art form has been getting more popular in the Midwest over the years. This year, Yesandia celebrated with a camp of 50 students in Cedar Rapids.

This year, camp ended with a massive showcase in downtown Cedar Rapids. As the organization grows, they hope to bring improv to more parts of Iowa, helping more people learn about and experience what it can really do. One founder believes that improv is crucial in day-to-day life and personal growth, seeing it as a powerful way for kids to develop on-the-spot problem-solving skills.

"We hope that improv can help get kids out and about, interacting with each other and learning valuable life skills."

Now that camp is over they look forward to the showcase on August 9th.

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About YES! Fest

Up next is Yes Fest—a competition where kids will go head-to-head in improv games for fun and prizes. All ages are welcome to participate, as long as they’re under 19. You can sign up here.

We are so excited to welcome you back to the SECOND Yes! Fest in August of 2025! Get started early and sign your team up today!

The event will take place on August 9 - CSPS Hall in Cedar Rapids. The evnt starts at 1 PM.

Who will take this year's improv glory?

There are multiple prizes given out at Yes! Fest:

Age Categories-The top scoring group in Middle School, High School, and College Aged will receive a small prize.

People's Choice Fundraiser-Each group will decorate their own People's Choice trophy (which is a box). To vote, audience members can put their tickets (worth 15 points) in the box of their choice. They can also add cash ($1=1 point). After the 2nd round, all boxes are counted. The winning group takes home any prize money inside (not exceeding the grand prize value). Any additional cash in any boxes works as a fundraiser for Yesandia and will go towards future Showcases, Camp, and Contests.

Grand Prize-The top three overall scores will receive cash prizes, a guaranteed slot in a showcase with a professional improv group this year, AND a token of improv glory.