Diaspora of Hope: Stories of Transformation

Guatemala: Stories of Transformation

2009-12-07T05:19:00.000-08:00

By Alaina Cronkright, Buildabridge Leader, Disapora of Hope Guatemala, 2009

Drama Teacher Transformed

Luisa was excited from the first day I met her at the orientation for all the teachers and artists. At the orientation, the Saturday before we left for Camp El Faro, she was trying to piece together objectives from the unity curriculum into her lesson plans. How do I connect theatre technique objectives to objectives of unity? She asked good questions as she attempted to wrap her mind around giving the children the experience of unity through their drama class in the upcoming week. She was apprehensive, and wanted to do things correctly as this was the first time she had done something of this nature.

On the first day of her class she taught the kids how to express themselves through mini dramas and exercises. For example, in one of their exercises they had to act like members of their family. This was just to get them warmed up. On the second day they developed a story together. The main question posed to the kids was: What is important for your families to hear about unity in La Limonada? From this question Luisa helped guide the students in weaving together a story. The morning class and afternoon class developed their own plays; each one involving gang activity, violence, drunkenness, and family. In one story they focused on a family coming together when a son is injured by violence. In another story a community is united through people in the church.

I not only saw the kids in this drama class grow as they learned how to put on stage makeup, how to express themselves through drama, and how to lead; I also saw Luisa grow. At first Luisa didn’t want to speak much English, nervous that she wasn’t very good at it. While she continued to be nervous about her English, I asked her to translate for our Artist Meeting; she didn’t hesitate to say yes. The artists put together a show to say thank you to the children of Limonada after our dress rehearsal on Thursday night. When asked if she would write or perform a piece, she hesitated. She followed through and wrote the following thank you to be shared during the artists’ presentation:

Esta semana, Izabal se ha iluminado por completo porque 107 niños han venido a llenarlo de sonrisas, canciones, pinturas y dramas. Se ha iluminado porque 107 corazones han aprendido lo importante que es estar unidos. Y, ¿saben algo, chicos? No solo Izabal se ha iluminado; también cada uno de nuestros corazones: el de Bethany, Gina, Geovani, Suti, Katy y el mio. Estamos aquí para decirles de todo corazón que los amamos, y que les damos las gracias por todo lo que ustedes nos han enseñado. Gracias por demostrar lo hermosos que son los niños de La Limonada. Los amamos.

Translated: This week, Izabal has been lit by 107 children who have come and filled it with smiles, songs, paintings, and dramas. It has been illuminated by 107 hearts that have learned how important it is to be united. And guess what? Not only is Izabal lit, each one of our hearts is as well; that of Bethany, Gina, Geovani, Suti, Katy, and mine. We’re here to tell you wholeheartedly that we love you and thank you all for what you have taught us. Thanks for showing how beautiful the children of Limonada are; we love you.

Luisa fell in love with the children of Limonada and expressed thankfulness for the opportunity to work them. She recognized the healing power of the arts and encompassed Buildbaridge’s heart and mission this week. She deeply desired that the students would learn how to express themselves in healthy ways. Her classes became unified groups with a story to share. While at first the Buildabridge Model and Curriculum seemed difficult to grasp, at the final celebration Luisa’s class proudly shared their stories and dramas with their families, expressing their desire for unity in their community.

It was incredible to see this young artist walk her students through an experience they will always remember. Yet, despite the sacrifices Luisa had made, she said was thankful for the opportunity to work with an organization dedicated to serving those in need. The week was filled with people giving of their time and selves to the children of La Limonada; and the impact of this didn’t just affect the children, it changed the lives of those serving as well. Luisa, myself, and others will not be the same.

Teaching Assistant: Leadership Development

Adriana took on a leadership role in the camp. This was her third time working with Buildabridge and she was working hard to keep the Buildabridge Classroom at the forefront of the graffiti class (where we had a new lead art teacher). It was apparent that over the years of her work with Buildabridge she has picked up some wonderful teaching skills and abilities. She also knew that the model worked and was dedicated to making sure things happened in the correct order. I watched her excel as an assistant and leader in the classroom, alongside our new Buildabridge Lead Artist.

Visual Arts Class: Two Way Street

One of the art projects that the Visual Arts Class did was create a large painting together on a piece of canvas. The center of the canvas was a road, and the sides were sectioned into small squares. Each student in the class painted a picture of something that would represent unity to them in Limonada. Originally, the lead artist planned to have the kids dip their feet into paint and walk down the road in one direction, leaving their footprints walking down the road together. In class though it came up that the students, from two different communities, weren’t allowed to cross from one neighborhood into the other. They decided to change the visual on the road, some of the kids walked in one direction, and the others walked the opposite direction. To them, this symbolized unity because it showed the freedom to walk into one another’s communities both ways.

Visual Arts & Music Class: Student Transformation

One of the students in the Visual Arts & Music Class didn’t seem super engaged throughout the week. The lead artist continued to try to encourage and engage her in the class, with some successes. The last day they took a photograph together, and shared some smiles. Then on Saturday, the lead artist was surprised when the student gave her a letter. The letter shared how glad she was to have met the lead artist, and how much she enjoyed being in the class. The lead artist shed some tears. She realized that even though she felt as though this student hadn’t been engaged, she had gotten something from the class and it had meant a lot to her.

Graffiti Class: Modeling Inclusion

One of the Assistant teachers in the Graffiti Class (Adriana) told a story about a student, Rosa, who doesn’t have the ability to speak. Adriana said that in the beginning of the week the other students were saying “she can’t do it” when it came to things they were doing in class, or elsewhere. The teachers treated Rosita with the same expectation as the other students, believing that she could do the work they had given her. She was in the Graffiti Class and the Visual Arts and Music Class. The Graffiti lead artist noticed she had a steady hand, and did a great job painting. When writing their names, she did one of the best jobs. In the Visual Arts and Music class, she followed along with the beat and rhythm with the others. Adriana noticed that by the end of the week the kids were including her in new ways, whereas in the past they would of dismissed her. They started to pull her along with them, now that they had seen that she could do the things they did, they wanted to make sure she was included. The Visual Arts & Music Teacher wrote, “The students were surprisingly patient with each other, especially with Rosa because she is deaf. They were very sympathetic with her… there was a genuine understanding.”

Transformation Stories, By Sutie Madison

There are two elements to my transformation that took place last week at camp Al Faro. The first was with Rosita, one of my students, and the second had to do with my own personal spiritual growth.

At first, Rosita was not very enthused about being in class. I did consider that maybe she was interested but feeling overly self-conscience. The last day of class I had the students paint a “road of unity” on canvas. Part of the road’s creation was the students dipping their feet in paint and leaving their footprints behind on the canvas. Rosita did not want to be apart of this. She was afraid of getting her feet messy. The transformation with her took place when she saw all of the other students participating and having so much fun. She walked up to me with bare feet and a smile. Rosita dipped her feet in red and proudly walked down the “road of unity” with her classmates.

The impact of my personal transformation is still unfolding in my mind and I think it will be for quite some time. I’ve never done charity work like this before, throwing myself into a completely different country and culture to help bring hope to these children through the arts. The camp leaders and organizers were also deeply inspiring to me. I’ve never before worked with people who are so steadfast, committed and big hearted. Being in the camp environment really pushed me to work my hardest and I truly did. I threw my heart into teaching the students about painting and music. In turn, the students taught me a lot about their culture and also about myself. I hadn’t realized that I was a natural teacher! I became filled up with a satisfaction of knowing I was doing something bigger than myself. I felt I had a real purpose while I was there. It was liberating to step outside of myself for a week and experience the gift of hard work and giving. Working with underprivileged children from an underdeveloped country was a huge reality check. Now I want to continue volunteering and reaching out to those in greatest need. I think that is what feels so satisfying. I finally realize, understand and appreciate the meaning of deeper satisfaction with myself which could only be obtained through giving.

Transformation Story by Gina Stickney, Voice & Movement Instructor

“Be flexible” is the mantra that Nathan and Vivian have reminded me of over and over since 2006, when I first started working with BuildaBridge. Since I love planning, this element can be somewhat of a struggle with my upside being that I also live to improvise. This trip in Guatemala was a perfect example of how being flexible has deepened my faith in my own ability as a teacher and innovator.

Since teaching in Guatemala last year with BuildaBridge, my dream has been to pilot a short yoga program while working with the children of La Escuelita (the name given to the first school in Plantio do Jovah, the organization founded by Tita Evertz which teaches over 300 children in the largest urban slum in Guatemala City), but in a country where Yoga is thought of by many as a religion, I knew bringing Yoga into their community could take a long time to be accepted. Fueled with the whole-hearted belief that Yoga is a healing art and a great supplement to any person’s life regardless of religion, I held fast in my hope that this year, Yoga would make a presence. After getting the OK to incorporate Yoga within my teaching from both BuildaBridge and Plantio de Jehova, I teamed up with BuildaBridge for year three of Diaspora of Hope.

My goal was to teach without disguising the Yoga, but rather enhancing the creative and performative aspects of what I was going to be teaching with Yoga. Confident of the complimentary aspects of creative dance and yoga poses, my desire to teach the integral breathing practices and chanting became my next consideration.

I love chanting and truly believe the results of its practice have made a profound impact on my life. After speaking with my friend Jean-Jaques about a simple English mantra for children, he taught me” We are hallow bamboo, open up your heart and let the light shine through.” Excited by the rhythm and how short the mantra was, I though it was perfect! He also mentioned it lent itself to beat-boxing, which at the time I thought was cool (little did I know I would later use beat-boxing as a way to teach rhythm and use of the breath!). I thought about translating the song into Spanish, but it would not have been the same rhyme or rhythm, so I stuck with English, which given the tempo, ended up being quite a challenge for my students to speak as well as consider conceptually. Mantras are like positive commercials that play over and over in our mind and connecting us more deeply with our spirit and the spirit of the Universe. Just like a catchy jingle gets stuck in your head, so does a mantra.

Singing provides opportunity for us to breathe deeply which sends positive messages to the brain encouraging our body to relax. This is why breathing patterns have such a profound effect on our general and mental health. “Breathing interacts with and affects the cardiovascular, neurological, gastrointestinal, and muscular systems. It also has general effects on sleep patters, memory, energy levels and concentration.” (Gillian & Gillian 2007). Along with counting the length of their breath, I used blowing bubbles as a way to teach students to focus on their breath, slow down their thoughts and become more comfortable facing someone in close proximity.

At the end of the week, what resulted from the blending of dance, yoga, sound, chanting, breath work, relaxation, rhythm, beat-boxing, bubbles and bamboo brought children from 2 disparate barrios in Guatemala City together share a short performance in front of their community uniting many minds, bodies and spirits together deepening their connection to themselves, each other and their community.

Philadelphia Stories of Transformation

2009-12-06T04:15:00.000-08:00

Imagine staying in a facility that is a safe haven for your mother and siblings from potential harms inside your own home. Not knowing when you may get back to that home, consistency being a thing of the past, you trudge forward somewhat uncertain of your future. This is what was facing the children of Diaspora of Hope Philadelphia. With a handful of children and a mixture of apprehension and anticipation from the students, our team delivered the means for creation in visual and dance forms. Our six children ranged in age from 6 to 15 years old. I was most concerned about how to establish organic movement from the children for dance that we could use in our final celebration performance.

As a teacher, my objectives began to shift from focusing on a culminating masterpiece. I focused more on praising individual bodily expression that my students produced and began to show initiative toward creating. This transformation was particularly rewarding because our youngest child was barely speaking in the beginning of the day. He was, however sure of one thing, that he didn’t want to participate in the dance class. By the end of the day, the same child became the center spotlight of his group movement piece. He also didn’t want to leave us.

-Chelsea Andrews, Teaching Artist

As a first time volunteer for Diaspora of Hope Philadelphia, this experience was an enjoyable one for me. I observed teachers and other adult volunteers working wonderfully with sheltered children. I was inspired by the positive response of these children to the well planned visual art and movement activities. One young boy actually directed the movement group I was a part of, plenty of leadership potential in him. A very bright moment indeed. All positive endeavors that benefit children "at risk" is time well spent.

-Betty Leacraft, Volunteer

My story of transformation is that of my own. I entered into this program trying to decide whether or not to go back into teaching. For someone with social anxiety and a fear of public speaking, teaching might not be a logical profession and yet it is really what I love to do. My initial apprehensions disappeared as soon as the children entered. Having such a small group of children was really a gift, in that we could focus on getting to know and work with each child. It addition, it helped me by alleviating me of worry of crowd control and discipline issues, and remind me that the focus was on the student. While discussing her sculpture, an older student started telling me about her upcoming science project. She really began opening up to me about an interest she had and it struck a chord within me. Knowing that I had a made a connection with this student really solidified to me that teaching is definitely the field I want to be in.

-Stacy Lenz, Volunteer

The Movement of Me…This is How I’m Shaping Up

2009-12-02T04:30:00.000-08:00

After a bit of a rocky start to the week, our Dance/Creative Movement class was underway. The students learned classical dance technique. For the culminating event they were able to demonstrate plie and releve with por de bra (the movement of the arms) in first position as well as in a traveling movement. In addition to classical technique, the students discovered ways to create shapes with their bodies, both individually and collectively.

Like dance, our lives take on many shapes and we have the ability to use those shapes to move us to our ultimate goal and or desire...the dance of our lives. I seized the opportunity to share with the students my personal story of how my desire to dance outweighed the discouragement I received as a young child and invited them to dream as well. Each student shared with the class their dreams and aspirations. With the Styrofoam shapes front and center on the floor, I asked them to document their dreams. They were to include any of the shapes in a drawing depicting their dream. The students were given a string to fold their pictures up and tie around their necks or wrists – close to the beat of their hearts – as a reminder of their dreams.

In spite of the information our initial orientation lead us to believe, these children had dreams and were hopeful. To name a few, Omar wants to be a doctor and Ibrahim dreams of owning a villa someday. Humdi desires to become a police officer, Nadia a tour guide and Amerra a teacher.

While all of the children’s stories were inspirational there was one that stood out. Mnar a tough adolescent girl - who could take on any boy without a second thought or even an adult for that matter – seemed very unimpressed on the surface. Mnar chose to draw all of the shapes on the floor in different colors. When asked to explain her picture she said, “ My dream is that my life would be as colorful as all these shapes”. Her smile was contagious, lit up the room and as colorful as her picture. This alone was worth the trip.

Melanie Winstead

Diaspora of Hope Egypt

Kenya: With our Hands an Feet on the Wall

2009-11-30T04:39:00.000-08:00

Final DOH article from Moses Okonji, Photography teacher and director of the Inspiration Centre

Photos by Gideon Ochieng

The week was great as I try to reflect on what each class did and their teachers. Saturday was the climax of everything that all the teachers have been doing. We were a little bit scared of the weather when it started raining. Bearing in mind that all our presentations were done outdoors, we took our chances and let things be. Fortunately all went well. The entire presentation was amazing; starting with the poetry class led by Godfrey, Mwaura and Kylee presented a peace poem.

This class started on a high note on Monday because they had their own room, this was before they were kicked out by the school because the school was using the room for exams. It was closely followed by photography class led by myself, Gideon, Quinter and Boi. We were also using one of the rooms from a nearby church before we were kicked out because we didn’t give them money. It was sad to imagine that a church in the community is there to serve but not to extort money from its poor community. Bearing in mind that this is a community event and the main key players are the children. One thing that was clear is that they saw “white” folks who according to them represent “power” and “money” in this community and this brought about the need for them to demand for money. We had to finish the rest of the class outside in an open space in the community. We had already developed more than 100 pictures for display.

The photography class had an opportunity to visit a studio in town during the week and saw how pictures were being processed and developed. Being one of the teachers in this class, I had an opportunity to realize the potential that these kids have and how gifted they were able to tell their stories through the lenses. Another class that was sensational was drama which had a lot of drama from the “owners” of the space they were using. This group was led by Rebekah and Said. They had a great presentation; conflict between two groups and how peace could be achieved. The next group that had a lot of children was dance class. This class was led by Queen Celmali and Jack. The children had an opportunity to learn Salsa, Merengue and Rhumba. I managed to sneak one of the days to learn some salsa when my class was taking photos in the community.

Celmali had a situation when her cell phone fell in one of the toilets, you don’t want to know how she screamed when she saw a Mathare resident pick it using gloves. This was hilarious because everyone kept laughing at her. Their presentation was amazing because the Mathare community had the chance to learn and see them perform. Then the last class to present their work was the mural. This class was led by Pyre, Aimee and Katie. They had managed to divide the wall into two parts that represented conflicts and peace. Their presentation was amazing since everyone had the opportunity to print their hands on the walls.

We also had a chance to have a thanksgiving dinner as teachers. This meant that a turkey had to be slaughtered by one of the teachers. It was surprising for the Kenyan teachers when they saw the Americans being scared of seeing a live turkey being slaughtered. This was great especially for me since it was my first time to eat a turkey or to share a thanksgiving dinner with friends. The entire event can easily be summed up as superb.

Egypt: The Impact of the BuildaBridge Classroom Model

2009-11-29T07:01:00.000-08:00

Josh Cooper

I came, I saw, and I began to understand. The Diaspora of Hope – Egypt 2009 was a transformational experience, not just for the young people we went to serve, but for me as well. The experience allowed many ideas about how kids should be taught to be resurrected. Quite frankly, some ideas were just changed. It seems I’d already began to forget what I’d learned in the Master’s Urban Studies Arts in Transformation program (this just goes to show that if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. Thus, I must commit to using it more often).

I’d forgotten about the impact of the BuildaBridge (BB) Classroom and just how children so quickly respond to it. The format incorporates the very elements that young people, especially those disadvantaged, need. Ritual, rhythm, and response, and structure are good for all of us.

Dr. Nix-Early quickly and effectively used all of these elements of the BB Classroom with the young people of the host organization, Caritas. As soon as the children entered the room, the BB team began to clap our hands to get the attention their attention. They quickly responded by doing the same. So Dr. Nix-Early would change the rhythm after a few seconds and the young people would respond again. This is rhythm, ritual, and response – just in this simple exercise. Eventually, we were able to include the young people’s names in this format to welcome them to the start of each fun-filled day of artistic experiences.

After only 2 days, one little boy about 5 years of age, named Amr, began to sing a song at the start of the day. We found out later that it was a song about love, respect, pride, and hope for Egypt. This song quickly became part of the morning ritual. This is exactly what should happen. When those we go to serve begin to take ownership of what we’ve offered, they are increasing the sustainability of the impact of the BB Classroom.

Additionally, the experience of creating art and learning it’s metaphorical relationship to their lives is transformational. The creative writing and drama experience of Laena’s class had a significant impact on the young people and the whole BB program – forming the bulk of the final celebration. Laena facilitated the creation of a story by the Caritas young people that included principles of transformation, forgiveness, redemption, and restoration. While the young people may not understand the full depth of the meaning of these words, they were able to experience the meaning of each of these words. I would argue that this is far more powerful than any other method of teaching, as the students will be able to “carry” the experience of the creative writing and dramatic performance before an audience for the remainder of their lives.

As I am sitting in my aisle seat on the Egypt Air flight home, with 2.5 hours left before I arrive, I am still having a tough time leaving them behind. The excitement with which the young people greeted us each day, seeing the impact of the BB Classroom and the transformational artistic experiences, and thinking about how much more can be accomplished there is challenging. Of the three BB programs I have been a part of (one other international program and one domestic), Egypt is the only one in which the BB team has left with a gift from the young people. On our last day, we were given the national flag of Egypt made of red, white, and black beads. After all that I have experienced in these last ten days, the question I am left with is, what do I do now?

Guatemala Final Celebration

2009-11-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

Alaina Cronkright, Buildabridge Team Leader

Today we had the final celebration, exhibiting the children's art work, in Campo de Marte, nearby the Limonada community. One of the metaphors to real life that had come up in our art classes this week came to life today. Even if you don’t have the resources you think you need, you can preserve and work together to reach your goals. We ran into some logistical problems with our venue once we arrived, the main problem being a lack of electricity. But, despite the lack of music for the dance class and the noisy background of the park (soccer games, live music, and traffic to name a few) the children performed. Parents gathered around the stage and watched the celebration of the art-making unfold. They joined in as the Visual Arts & Music class sang their call and response, “music has the power to unite La Limonada.” Children from both communities were present, as well as parents.

At the end of the exhibition the students received their Buildabridge Certificates for the classes they participated in, and the teachers were lined up to congratulate them. Smiles were shared, and tears were shed as each one of the 94 children were hugged by the six artists teaching their classes. Some of the children wrote notes to teachers to tell them how much they had affected them. Despite the challenges, today really was a celebration of the life-changing week we all spent together.

Reflections on a week of Unity in Guatemala

2009-11-28T20:49:00.000-08:00

For the past week we have been working with the children of La Limonada, from two different sides of this barrio in the heart of Guatemala City: El Limon and Mandarina. On Monday we packed 107 children and 30 adults into two school buses. I shared a seat with three children, others sat on buckets, and quickly we became, quite literally, close. The two school buses of children were separated by communities: Limon on one side, Mandarina on the other.

As soon as we arrived at Camp El Faro (seven hours later) the children were put into groups and cabins that mixed up the two communities. Throughout the week the students were in cabins, played games, ate meals, and made art together in their classes. We had six classes total: Voice and Movement, Graffiti, Visual Arts and Music, Drama, Textiles, and Dance.

Today we had a celebration and debriefing lunch with all the artists and teachers who served at the camp this past week. People were sharing transformation stories with one another. One of the assistant teachers shared that she wasn’t convinced that the unity among the students once they were at the camp was really real. She felt as though the students were just hanging out together because they “had to.” But, she saw the transformation on the bus ride home. As mentioned earlier, on the way to the camp the kids were separated in two groups. On the way home, they rode in the buses in their camp groups, so they were mixed up. When we arrived in Mandarina and the kids started to leave the bus, the Limon kids were yelling things to them like, “don’t leave without saying goodbye!” She described how they didn’t dismiss one another anymore, but truly acted like friends. As she told this story she had a look of amazement, “it really worked,” she said.

It did really work. The power of our week of art making together made a real and tangible difference. In our Visual Arts and Music Class the students created their own homemade instruments and made a band, singing a call and response chant, “music has the power to unite La Limonada.” In the drama class students developed their own dramas based on what they wanted to express to their families and communities about the importance of unity in Limonada. The students experienced unity as they learned art skills and created art together. In their classes the students experienced what it was like to work with others, created art that reflected unity, and made this week “work.” Unity wasn’t just a concept for these students, it became a reality.

Not only did the children become a unified community, but the artists teaching the classes did as well. We had three Guatemalan artists, and three U.S. artists on our team this week. During our first debriefing meeting this week the artists shared their curriculum plans and metaphors of unity connected to their art making. The team was overwhelmed with the beauty of things we were discussing. One of the Guatemalan artists shared with the team how thankful she was for all of our team to be together. She grew up in Limonada, and she shared that she had always wanted opportunities like the one these children were receiving through this camp. As she continued to express her gratitude her eyes filled with tears. Every member on this team felt the power of this moment. We were reminded of why we were here and the privilege it is to be joined with such an amazing community of people, providing art making opportunities to these beautiful children. I saw transformation in the children, the artists, and in myself this week. We have many more stories to share.

Just one?

2009-11-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

Alicia Hamming-Assistant Music Teacher

How can I just pick one child or one story? When out of the 15 children in our class, each one has shown an incredible amount of change over the past three days. On Monday, when the children arrived to the camp, they got off the bus with eager anticipation but yet with a look of uncertainty on their faces. All were very quiet and behaved themselves very well. However, this produced very shy, timid voices for our children's choir. I had to strain to hear the soft voices of the children.

As the week progressed, I saw noticeable change in the demeanor of the children and their excitement for class. They smiled when they entered class, answered questions eagerly and were excited to sing. They sang with their whole being and so much emotion. At the end of each song they asked to continue singing or wanted to practice another song.

One young girl, Maria Fernando could hardly open her mouth without giggling. But by the third day, she stood with confidence, a huge smile on her face, singing with lots of passion. Modesto, sat down in choir on the first day and looked like he was going to fall asleep because of boredom. He even admitted to us that he was bored on the first day. However, on the third day, he was practicing his songs with lots of intensity and singing with a smile on his face. He willingly participated in class and said how much fun it was to sing.

There are many other examples that I can think of when I imagine the faces of each child. As we practiced our piece for the final show, I stood proudly in front directing our small children's choir and listened to the voices of these small angels. William's face was aglow because he had been allowed to return to Arts Camp, Edipcia sang with confidence, Erick lead his line up front showing his strength as a leader.

For me, it was a blessing to be part of this Arts Camp and to participate as a leader in one of the classes. I had the honor of working with the children and teach them a new Art form. This was a new experience for me and even though it was a challenge, it was very rewarding to see the results. I will always have the memories of children coming up to me and calling me profe, giving me a hug and thanking me for teaching them.

Try again

2009-11-28T11:02:00.000-08:00

Lily Emo- Assistant Teacher of the Painting Class

It seems to be that small things or achievements are able to leave enduring impressions. That has how it has been for me helping out at the Art Camp in Nicaragua this year. Observing the delight of children as they learn for what seemed the first time how to mix basic colors, seeing how they grow a little more confident as they explore with different techniques to make small improvements to their pictures. Small improvements to a painting can quickly become bigger noticeable changes to a painting.
I think it is an instant reaction for children all over the world to throw away paintings that are only half finished and start on a new one when the painting is not working the way that they had wanted it too. This was the case for Modesto. When he came to me with his half finished and obviously un-cherished painting, he was asking for more paper, which I refused to give him. Instead, I sat down beside him and showed him that by adding a few different colors and using his brush in various different ways he would be able to resurrect his painting and not need to throw it away and move on to something else. I left him intently working on that picture for the rest of that class period right up until recess time. During recess I saw him protectively guarding his painting while it dried. It had become a treasure and source of pride, instead of becoming a thing to be discarded and forgotten as quickly as possible. This is just one of the small things that had left its enduring mark on my memory.

Kenya: On the Rocks

2009-11-27T16:55:00.000-08:00

Rebekah Wilcox and Moses Okonji, the leader of Inspiration Center Mathare

On today, our final day of camp before celebration, we ran into a few glitches. Though the weather has improved and is more beautiful than ever, we lost the space we had for drama and poetry class. We looked around and found a space behind a pile of rocks and a space on top of the rocks to hold class. Though not an ideal or easy place to have a class, the children and teachres were very flexible and simply adjusted their lessons to fit their new environments. Gideon Ochieng, one of the photography teachers, reflects on the day:

Yesterday our class went through what we have learnt since Monday. All of them can now take us through the basic steps of the art of peace building. Their lives are full of brokenness but this does not deter them from seeking peace not just for themselves but on behalf of boys and girls in their communities as well as those they hope to meet elsewhere. We call our class the ambassadors of peace because of how serious they have taken up their roles in Mathare and Huruma. In the beginning my challenge was to incorporate the elements of peace in photography. It seemed as though we would just talk about peace and then take pictures on the side, however, to my surprise, I realized how possible and now easy it is to bring the two together in a classroom right on the corridors of beautiful Mathare. Suleiman and Salim, brothers, who are in our class have gone full throttle, thinking about nothing else but camera, it is not just an obsession. The two and Suleiman in particular loves to bring to the attention of the class all that we have been learning, I keep on teasing him that he is the captain, and indeed he is. The future is bright and filled with hope as the many children in our camp, who are mostly being raised by single mothers, leaves tomorrow with a message of peace to their communities. I have definitely learned as much as I have had an opportunity to teach these children.

Moses Okonji, the leader of Inspiration Center Mathare

Philly's Phenomenal Potential...

2009-11-27T12:31:00.000-08:00

Sarah Thompson

Walking from my apartment in South Philly to 30th St. Station the day before Thanksgiving, I take the ‘scenic route’; the Schuylkill River Trail. The nominal trees scattered along the bank sway their naked branches (save a few threadbare leaves) and I revel at their altered physique. Weeks ago, they were flaming reds and brilliant yellows. Months previous, they had the fullness of green, dense and vibrant. Preceding even that, they were blossoming fragrant with fruitful blooms or bursting from buds and new shoots. And yet, falling farther back in time, before all of the visible seasonal checkpoints, they were..

Seeds.

Lowly and small, deep in the earth, displaced. Sleeping and secretive, they waited. Time capsules of potential. Yearning to be awakened and jump start the cycle that gradually proclaims their purpose for the world to experience. And so there it was. Right before me, the apparent truth that even in this city seeds can take root, grow and multiply. And so can we.

For the Diaspora of Hope Philadelphia, our team (a group of five visual artists, practicing and retired public educators and dancers) is using this metaphor - that of the seed and it’s possibility of growth and becoming - to speak hope into the lives of children living in a Domestic Violence Shelter in North
Philadelphia called Women Against Abuse. For one day we have the opportunity to work with these children; many of whom have hopes about a different kind of future which wouldn't be repressed by fear or injustice. Although we don't know how many of the twenty kids currently residing in the shelter will attend, our purpose for this Saturday is to create a safe environment where they can recognize their own real and living potential while practicing intentional processes of extracting and cultivating that hope. By translating the metaphor of the seed as hope into an art experience, the visual arts team will be enlarging and constructing replicas of seed pods from local trees (ginkgo, maple, oak, locust, pine) using found objects. Within these pods, we will be creating our own ‘seeds of hope’; encased written statements that affirm a positive quality or characteristic of ourselves. Similarly, our dance team is taking the children on an experiential journey of the life cycle of the seed. Through movement, rhythm and ritual they will be exploring and acting out as the external elements necessary for seed growth; wind, earth, water and sunlight.

Our hope is that these art experiences will give root to the truth that each man, woman and child possess an exquisite contribution to this world. With that acknowledged, we’re championing for the understanding of the respectful partnership between the individual and the community as one of promise and sustaining life.

Do all things with Excellence

2009-11-24T20:51:00.000-08:00

After planning, evaluation and debriefing with the artist and class helpers, the team was ready to start the day with new energy and ideas. Before we left, I walked along the beach located behind our housing and picked up shells from the shore that inspired a dance exercise for my students. For the painting teacher, the ladies walking down the street selling fruit from a basket on the top of their heads was the analogy for life bearing good results in the painting class. In the music class, a piece of red string was the connecting source in finding that in a choir, all are an important strand of strength to the group. Our camp theme song is Como tu no hay( There is no one like you)
Sabias que eres especial,
sabias que tienes un lugar
aqui en la tierra,
no hay nadie como tu tan especial,
con tu desfectos y qualidades, como tu no hay.
Do you know that you are special
Do you know that you have a place
in the earth
there is no one like you as special
with your defects and qualities like you there is no one

We sing this song every day, but in the afternoon, I heard the song a bit differently. As I was typing the blog and I overheard a brother singing the song to his sister in the other room. It was the most beautiful version of the song that I had ever heard.

Kenya: A Drenching Rain

2009-11-24T15:29:00.000-08:00

This morning we were greeted with space complications and drenching rains. In Kenya, rain is a major issue because many of our classes meet outside. Despite the weather, and one of our teachers loosing their cell phone in the public bathrooms (think squatty potty), we had a productive day. We heard stories of family, community, and national conflict. Many children shared stories of witnessing violent crimes including murders. Art was used to teach them peaceful steps to deal with this conflict. Said and Jackson, two Kenyan teachers, share their reflections:

"Todays class was interesting we learned some Latin dance and taught about peace through it.Today's step was talk it out. my high point was that every thing went as planed low point was one of the students decided to go to another class." ~Jackson, Dance instructor

"Today was good day. We enjoyed the day. It was interesting after seeing what the children had done as an assignment. The shocking work of them all was one child had written about how his parents one day had an argument then the mother stabbed the father with a knife on the chest. All in all the class was fun despite the sad stories." ~Said, Drama teacher

Pictures are taken by Gideon Ochieng and Godfrey Boi

The Fairy Tale of Peter, Poussy and the Evil Mask – a moment of transformation.

2009-11-24T15:18:00.000-08:00

It was the first time practicing their story in drama form all the way through...

The plan of Peter and his friends to thwart the villain Shahir was to have Poussy, their cat, slip under the door while Shahir was sleeping, flick the evil mask off with his paw and escape with it out the window. The two boys playing the “door” and the “window” moved quickly and proudly into place; the masked Shahir fell asleep, tired from ruining the good work of the Peter’s team. The little boy “cat” moved quickly through the legs of the “door”, snatched the evil mask from Shahir’s face in a nano-second and leaped out the four-armed “window”. The children on and off the stage erupted in spontaneous applause. The adults felt chills! This was the transformational moment of the camp – a first dry run rehearsal of a play the children had just orally written. But this moment would not be repeated with the next rehearsals or the performance to come on Wednesday, the last day of the camp. The magic was in this time when a cat, on behalf of his friends, turned evil into good, and allowed Shahir to be reconciled to Peter. The students knew something great had happened, and that they were a part of it. It was as if it was purging all the bad from each of them in one cathartic gesture. Forgiveness occurred and they went on together doing good forever. The play didn’t start out this way.

Asked what we might write a story about – something about their lives – the students offered themes about a bad person on the street. Asked how to stop that person from doing bad things, answers of graphic violence came: beat him up, kill him, throw him where the fish swim, spear him. These answers come from children who live with violence on the street and who have escaped from war torn countries like Sudan that train them to kill. “What else can we do that is not violent or physical?” Their imaginations began to work. They introduced a mask that makes him do bad things; maybe tie him up. What if the rope doesn’t hold? Drop a net on him from a airplane. What if the net breaks? Ahhhhh. Get the mask! What happens when the mask come off? He turns good. With that suggestion from the children, the process of playwrighting succeeded in facilitated the transformation of their minds in the symbol of a fairytale.

This week in Cairo, the arts are helping children remove the evil masks inside that burden them. If this isn’t hope, we don’t know what is.

The full Fairytale will be available soon.

Vivian

This is the Day

2009-11-24T14:37:00.000-08:00

By 7:30 am we were all in the van on our way to what we knew was going to be a joyous yet tiring week. When we got to the church building where the camp was held, there were bare walls, cement slab floor and empty rooms. Within 3 hours there was for lack of better words a rebirth. The walls were filled with colorful banners saying art, dance, choir and painting. The banners had faces of happy children and most of all the writing, "creating art....creating life. When the bus with the 50 students arrived, which had a banner attached on the side with the Buildabridge and Nehemiah Center (Nehemiah Center is the host organization in Nicaragua), my heart was beating out of my chest full of excitement. The children filed out of the bus with expectant faces, entering the church in amazement as they were greeted by one of the camp coordinators greeting them with music. The students were so quiet and we had their attention from the door. They were well behaved throughout the classes to my surprise. This is a testimony to the work that the Child Development Program from Food for the Hungry has had major impact in the lives of the children. With time, the students warmed up to the teachers and vice versa. The motto could be heard out the windows of the classes. the voices of hte children singing at the top of their lungs in choir class, the stopping of feet in dance class and the intensity on the faces of the children in painting class were all signs that they children were giving their all in cooperation with their teachers. I had a student that I had to put in timeout for 1 minute. After class I spoke with him and asked if the dance class was hard, easy or difficult. I asked that question because he was playing around which could mean many things. He said he had difficulty with the steps which explain his acting silly instead of trying. I gave him a little speech about not giving up and that I want his participation and effort which is one of the Buildabridge Rules-do your best at all times. However, his response was one i did not expect. He said thank you. In all my teaching experience, I never had a kid after I put in timeout and I had to talk with them afterwards, tell me thank you. That was a sign of the relationships that would be made during the week.

Nairobi: Think it Out

2009-11-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

Rebekah Wilcox

After the 2007 general elections in Kenya, fighting began between different tribes. In Mathare Valley, neighbor turned against neighbor and people were killed based solely on the tribe they belonged to. Several people were brutally killed including children. When a child sees adults dealing with conflict by physical brutality, the child learns to deal with conflict in the same way. During our first day of camp, children shared stories about things they saw in their community and things they continue to see. In addition, they learned the first step to the peacemaking process: Think it out. In Theatre class, students acted out scenes of conflict in their lives and replayed them with different, peaceful endings. In Photography, students began taking pictures and video in their community of what they saw as peaceful interactions between people. In Mural class, students covered the wall with the first coat of white and are keeping us all in suspense about what they will be painting. Teachers were excited after the first day and children are eager for the rest of the week. Tomorrow, they will be learning step two: Talk it out.

Cairo: What about Maraina

2009-11-22T16:33:00.000-08:00

Dr. Vivian Nix-Early, Egypt Team Leader and Co-Founder of BuildaBridge

Thursday November 19

Melanie and I were the last of the team to arrive in Cairo today. We were anxious and excited to join the others waiting at the hotel. We landed right on time at the airport and soon began to get a taste of the politics and culture of the Middle-East. I would like to think it not typical, and it is dangerous to generalize, but our experience in the customs line seems in retrospect to present a possible glimpse into the personality of this part of the world. The Egyptian in front of waved to his friend to come into the line with him. At first it seemed that they were traveling together and just got separated; and so of course he should join him in line. Then another acquaintance walked up to greet him, as if discovering him by chance in the airport. They chatted briefly and then he too came under the rail and joined him in line. Then a third and a fourth friend. By this time we discerned that these were no coincidental meetings. We and the Japanese gentleman behind us began to protest, to say “no more people” and to let them know that this was not right. They acknowledged this with placating smiles and turned away a fifth. However the six and seventh came, smiled and laughed through our protests and simply stayed in line in front of us. For a city dependent upon tourism, this was not helpful. Ironically, as soon as we cleared the passport clerk, we were greeting by a member of the tourism bureau wanting to make our stay a “pleasant one”.

Upon emerging from the baggage claim, we quickly spotted our driver and guide who held out our names on a placard. Loaded into the van, we made our way out into a chaotic sea of cars, trucks and vans on roads with no lights, stop signs or anything that would give order to mass of vehicles fighting to get to their destinations. But there were lane lines – only no one paid any attention to them. Their were four lanes of cards driving in a two lane highway! We’d never seen anything like this – vehicles turning right from the far left, swerving around within an inch of each other like bumping cars. Our driver simply informed us that the lines are there but nobody pays any attention to them. They just go where they want. This sounded all to much like the customs line in the airport.

It doesn’t help that violence and death have erupted over the recent soccer matches between the Egyptians and the Algerians. A game of futbol is now causing diplomatic and political stand off and showdown. Or, as some are now saying, is it that the game of futbol gave rise to an opportunity to effect the ousting of Egyptian business investors from Algeria that was being coveted for some time for economic power plays?

What ever the case, tensions are high, and by the time we reached our hotel, extra security had to be called for – 5 Americans (the BuildaBridge Team) and two Algerians were staying at the hotel, and they wanted to make sure nothing happened to us. A security guard accompanies us on our van the
next day as we travel to our first public destination (to join with the many NGO’s at the UNICEF 20^th Anniversary Celebration.)

Saturday November 21, 2009

We met Maraina (not her right name) our second day here in Cairo (first day of “camp”), working with the children served by Children of Hope and Arts for Community, our host agency. She eagerly participated in the Collaborative Still Life visual art experience presented by the BuildaBridge team that was designed to serve as a metaphor for how important it is to share as well as ask for and receive help from others. She is 15 years old; a bright, well-mannered, lady-like young girl who extends warmth as well as receives it through the hug and cheek kiss she silently asks for with a gently smile.
She is one of two girls in the class of boys. She has thoroughly enjoyed herself today. She tells us she has no friends, and that what was significant about being in the camp today was that she made new friends and felt cared for. But she will not be back for the rest of the days of the camp. You see, while she is just 15 years old, she works in a factory. If she wants the holiday off (next weekend), she must not miss anymore worktime.

Maraina is one of the 40 million (out of the population of 80,000) youth living in Egypt and one of the 30% of the population living in poverty. Many children like her and even younger are sent to the city by their families to work to bring money back to the family. They work in deplorable conditions, carrying bundles heavier than they, breathing in vapors that are harmful to their health and that damage them for life. They sleep on floors where mice bite their fingers at night. But they still search for love, friends, belonging and time to play, laugh and be a child.

The camp will continue tomorrow and will work, through drama and dance this time, with 12-15 of the students who live at Caritas. They will write and act out their own fairy tale, reflecting both their imagination and their real lives.

Saturday November 21, 2009
Ten Caritas teachers and staff stayed for two hours beyond their usual work day to become immersed in the method and format of the BuildaBridge Classroom. Some of them came to the training tired from assisting in the BaB team’s arts-integrated classes earlier that day. They alternated between being teacher and student, experiencing and then understanding the reasons for special greetings at the door, the ritual of the opening welcome song, pledge and rules; and they really came alive as they began the same collaborative still life art experience that the children had completed earlier that day. But unlike the children, their answers to the inquiry questions that followed, were tough – taken straight from their experiences with the children they worked with. This lead to a series of questions about how to handle the kinds of problems they are faced with when working with their children. Not surprisingly they are similar to the tough issues that come up with traumatized, abused and neglected kids all over the world: how to move youth from resorting to violence as a solution to everything; how to move them from anger and refusal to participate in efforts that will help them, etc. We closed with the reminder that we cannot save kids. We can only do our best to facilitate their efforts to save themselves.

Our team is eager to see again the students we met today. We are heartened to know of the commitment of the Caritas staff. But our hearts are saddened and hurting to know the conditions in which they live and to know that we might see one of these young people from our class selling flowers at the Pyramids on Thursday in order to make a money quota for a “boss”.

Poetry and Music

2009-11-22T13:27:00.000-08:00

By Rebekah Wilcox, BuildaBridge Kenya Team Leader and International Program Coordinator

Celmali Jaime

This morning, I woke up in Kenya for my 32nd Birthday. I was greeted by the early morning sun and beginning of a very warm day. I went downstairs in my host's home and had my regular breakfast of bread with peanut butter and a cup of chai. I was also lucky to have a Chapati left over from dinner last night. I smiled as I ventured out of the home alone and walked the dusty busy road to my first lonesome Matatu ride. I made it across the street alive and climbed aboard the Matatu. I rode into City Centre to meet my friend and fellow classmate, Celmali Jaime. Celmali is a woman I look up to. She graduated from the same graduate program that I am now in and is a Spoken Word poet. She and I both came to Kenya last year to teach at the first Kenyan Diaspora of Hope with BuildaBridge. This morning, we were invited to a concert that included a performance by Celmali and three of the Kenyan teachers who work with us. Said (drama teacher), Shadrack (visual arts teacher), and Jack (dance teacher), are all musicians and part of a hip-hop group called Mashahidi Krew.

The concert was held at an all girls high school where many students are from Mathare Valley and familiar with the teachers from the Inspiration Center (our partner in Kenya). It was great to be able to see the artists we work with in their element. Last year, we learned they were musicians, but didn't have the opportunity to see them perform. It was also an incredible birthday treat to hear Celmali perform. She is a talented artist that moves the crowd and makes me proud to know her.

After the performance, we had a delicious lunch of egg, rice, steamed vegetables, and bread. Then, we hopped back on the Matatus to go home. Said, his girlfriend Maureen, and Shadrack rode back with me to Gideon's house. When we got off the Matatu, we stopped by a local vendor for fresh sugar cane. This was in place of birthday cake and my first time eating raw sugar cane. It was delicious!

As usual, an event in Kenya took much longer than expected. I thought I would be out from 8:30am-1pm and didn't get home till almost 5pm. It was well worth it, but I found my American self getting frustrated and impatient during the times we just stood around waiting for things to happen. I wondered why we are always in such a hurry and don't take the time to just be. In Kenya, there is a lot of time to just be. I should be relaxed during these times, but I am just anxious and feel like I should be doing something. Perhaps by the end of my three weeks here, I will learn to breathe. :-)

All in all, it was an amazing birthday and I look forward to tonight when I will be working with other teachers to finish up preparations for camp.

Greetings from Diaspora of Hope Kenya

2009-11-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

By Rebekah Wilcox, BuildaBridge Kenya Team Leader and International Program Coordinator

We are patiently awaiting and preparing for the beginning of a wonderful week of camp. So far, we had two productive training events for local artists. The first was covering the BuildaBridge classroom and the second to go over our Peace curriculum. This year, we have five classes covering poetry, dance, theatre, muraling, and photography. We will be working with 70-80 students from Mathare Valley in Nairobi. Most of these students has witnessed extreme violence and continue to see violence on a daily basis in their community (see link on left). BuildaBridge will be using the arts to teach steps to peaceful conflict resolution.

On Friday, four teachers rode into town on Matutus (local bus) and spent the entire day going from shop to shop buying supplies for our classes. This year, we have all but two Kenyan teachers returning as lead teachers. In addition, Celmali Jamie, who taught poetry last year and recently moved to Kenya for a year, returns to teach dance. We also have two teachers from Seattle who are living in Kenya temporarily and currently teach in Kibara, another slum community. Today (Sunday), we are preparing posters for all of our classes, name tags for students and teachers, and finalizing lesson plans. Stay tuned tomorrow for pictures and stories from Day 1!!!

Orientation Day in Guatemala

2009-11-22T07:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, all of the people who will be working at the camp came to meet for a training in La Limonada (pictured above), the community where the children we will be working with and teaching next week. There are 29 adults along with 94 children from La Limonada who will be at the camp called EL Faro located in Puerto Barrios, Punta De Palma. Out of the 29 adults there are a mixture of artists from Buildabridge who have come as Artists on Call, long term missionaries who are living in Guatemala, Guatemalan residents, and some teachers who grew up in La Limonada and now work at the school.

This is BuildaBridge’s fourth year in

Guatemala,

and the team here developed the theme of UNITY for this week. Unity is needed in their community. Why Unity? The children in La Limonada are growing up in the midst of gangs who oppose one another, neighborhoods that are separated, daily trauma, and families that are divided. Many of the children are daily suffering from mental, physical, or sexual abuse. The injustice and corruption of the government and police in Guatemala City affects this community harshly. Consequently, BuildaBridge and Plantio De Jehova see that the need for hope, healing, and unity in this community is great.

"Estamos Unidos..." (We are united) Those are the words the artists and teachers are singing above. Yesterday the artists, teachers, camp leaders, and cabin counselors for the camp experienced unity through art-making at the orientation. When we all first walked into the room, the US artists were sitting on one side and the Guatemalan artists on the other. In order to experience the new curriculum, the teachers and artists broke into six groups, each group was given an objective of the unity curriculum, and an art form to share that objective with the rest of the group. As they developed songs, dances, drama, and human sculpture to convey their curriculum objective together, the room was quickly filled with a mixture of Spanish & English and laughter. The beauty of the arts is that through the art making process the team became more unified. Some of the artists in

Guatemala

are new to the Buildabridge Classroom and model and are soaking it in and working hard on their curriculum.

Tita has been working in La Limonada for 15 years and has started the two schools where the children will be coming from next week (Plantio de Jehova & Lemonade International). On the way to and from the training today we packed many people into Tita’s small van and stopped along the way to drop people off and pick people up. The spirit of the group shown through as we stopped along the way to give a man some “papa fritas” (french fries), a woman a banana, and to help some others push a car that died off of the street. The energy of the packed van, full of artists & teachers was joyful and inclusive. The people we are partnering with are dedicated to serving the community of La Limonada where there is much poverty and brokenness.

I cannot even begin to explain how much the laughter, the joy, and the excitement for this week’s camp and upcoming art classes is a privilege to be a part of with these groups! It is a blessing to be able to come and work with such gifted and loving people in the midst of a community of great need.

All day training cancelled because of potentially violent protest throughout the city :)

2009-11-21T13:33:00.000-08:00

After my sleepless night and two flight delays I arrived in Nicaragua. Everyone was telling me that I chose “great time” to come because of what was happening the next day. In the city there will be protest from both parties in the streets and people were apprehensive as to how peaceful they were going to be. As a result, our all day Saturday training for the camp was reduced to a few hours on Friday. The kids are ready, the teaching and supporting staffs are excited to get camp underway and carry out the BuildaBridge model. The kids have been on their best behavior as to not ruin their chances of not being able to participate in the camp. They all made a banner with their hands dipped in paint. Since this is the first time that Nicaragua has had a BI camp, the teachers and supporting staff and I are excited, yet anxious to see how it will all turn out with less than ideal time and circumstances.

The theme of camp is hope. Nicaragua is a country that has been through over 30 years of wars, natural disasters and dictatorship; these people know how to hold on to hope. The students that we will be working with are children mostly working or living in the city garbage dump. They are poor in terms of having little material possessions, but are rich with the love and support they receive from adults trying to make a difference in their lives through the Food for the Hungary International Nicaragua team. FHI has been working with this community for a while now and know the kids and their stories; stories of laughter, cries, desperation and love. The camp site is located about 10mins away from their community in a church. Some of the church members have volunteered in helping decorate the classrooms for the opening day of camp. The Hope curriculum is so vital and necessary to the advancement of the kids development. Diaspora of Hope is complimentary to the mission of what FHI is already doing with the students through relationships, showing them hope is real. Hope is what we, as a staff and supporting team desire to bring to the students. The hope the students will find in themselves is the pinnacle of the camp.

The following blog entries are from the Diaspora of Hope 2008

2008-12-09T14:08:00.000-08:00

One Who Laughs

by Liberty Wetherill: Art Therapist, Kenya Diaspora of Hope

As an art therapist I noticed Isaac right away because of his depressed affect. His downcast demeanor reflected the weight of burdens too heavy for a fourteen year old boy to have to carry. He was somewhat socially isolated, he always sat by himself in class and worked fastidiously on his artwork in silence. I also noticed that when he found something funny he would look up from his work and giggle so that for a moment his entire countenance lit up.

One of our art projects called the “life map” involved creating an artistic depiction of each student’s life with flowers for positive life experiences and rocks for negative ones. My co-teacher Joachim, who was incidentally Isaac’s schoolteacher, whispered in my ear that Isaac had many “rocks” on his life map and that perhaps the two of us should meet privately to discuss his hardships.

Isaac agreed to meet individually with me to tell me his life story. I let him lead our time together feeling that it was important for him to be in control of his story. He described each flower and rock in detail including the three successive rocks which signified deaths of important people in his life. Isaac had lost both of his parents and then went to live with his grandmother, who died shortly thereafter. He explained that he now resides with his mother’s friend. I intervened at this point by asking him how he felt about living with his mother’s friend. Tears began to fall which he tried desperately to hold back. He was an only child, he told me, at times burrowing his tear stained face in his hands, so he had no family left and he had to work very hard to earn his keep where he currently lived. Life had been very hard for him he said, and he felt very lonely without any family left.

Isaac needed a safe space or holding environment for him to re-count the trauma he had experienced. He needed a place to tell his story and share his feelings of sadness and tremendous loneliness. In the interest of our brief time together, when I felt that a sufficient catharsis had taken place, I re-directed the focus of the session to his positive character qualities—I pointed out that he was a survivor, an overcomer and that he had shown great strength and bravery in withstanding such adverse circumstances.

Knowing that he was from a Christian background I then asked him if he knew the Hebrew meaning of his name Isaac which is “one who laughs.” He smiled with satisfaction at this new puzzle piece of self-knowledge. I told him that I had seen him laughing many times in class and that I wondered if his ability to laugh, or his sense of humor, was a positive attribute which had helped him through many trials. I told him that I thought this ability to laugh would serve him well in the future and he agreed.

The focus of the rest of the session was on Isaac’s future. I encouraged him to think of things that he hoped for in his future and to draw them on his life map. He marked off a new segment of his life map to indicate his future and labeled one part “family” and another “graduation from law school.” Together we discussed the many hopeful things he had to look forward to in his future including a family of his own one day, which the idea of seemed to give him tremendous satisfaction, and his career aspiration to be a lawyer.

Overall, this brief session seemed to help Isaac in that it provided a safe space for catharsis of overwhelming feelings and for him to tell his story. It also helped him to re-structure how he saw himself as a causal agent with positive attributes who is able to shape the hopes he has for his future.

From then on after our session, Isaac signed his artwork as “One who laughs.”

Time to Listen

2008-12-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

by Kayon Watson

Drama Instructor, Diaspora of Hope 2008, Guatemala

Story of Jose, Esdras and Erick
We were in the middle of theater class. Jose, Esdras and Erick were playing around in there "time out corners" and I was up to my limit with them. Instead of raising my voice, I took them all by the hand and we walked outside behind the chapel, over the bridge and into an area where we would not be disturbed. I was so frustrated with them, I couldn’t say any words for at least the first minute. They were laughing like it was a joke, so I waited until they stopped laughing and I began to speak.

After they understood that this was not a laughing matter, the real communication started.

I said to them that sometimes we laugh when we are nervous, or scared or frustrated or we had our feelings hurt. They began to nod there heads as they continued to look at the ground. I asked, what people think of boys, young men, or adult men in La Limonada. The boys said "thieves, killers, and drug users". When I asked that question, I didn’t know if I would really get an answer, but I did. That was enough for Erick to feel comfortable enough to open up about how his dad has been drinking heavily and how he feels really bad for him and disappointed. All I could do was listen.

I told them, "You don’t need to be like those men, you can make decisions now to be different. Even while we are in class, you can decide to make better decisions and not break the rules." They all agreed with me and I asked them if I can have there commitment that they were going to try to make better decisions in there lives and be different than what people expect to them be. Esdras and Erick gave me a hand shake in commitment, but Jose decided that he was not sure yet.

Story of Wendy

On our 6 hour bus ride to the camp, some of the adolescent girls and I were playing different hand games. Wendy was one of them. Wendy was in my theater class, but was very quiet, even a bit shy. This was the complete opposite of what I saw on the bus. Later on in the week, I saw that she got in trouble for throwing a fist at another girl in the lunch line; again, I saw a different side of Wendy. Later that night I had a conversation with her teacher about her behavior. Her teacher began to tell me how her mother is very rough with her. Her mother works as a garbage worker, picking up the plastics and cardboard pieces from the different open air markets for money and that Wendy works with her as well. Her mom is verbally abusive and when she gets mad enough, beats her. "Sometimes her mom will drag her by the hair across the room." Her teacher informed me. This helped me get a better picture of why Wendy’s life seemed so complex.

The dress rehearsal for the big show began. Many of the kids in the play were laughing with uncontrollable excitement. Wendy barely could speak her lines without bursting into laughter. As for me, I was on the side watching as the play fell to pieces because the kids were laughing and talking on stage. After there scene, one of the Buildabridge teachers went to talk to her about not laughing because her story was important and people need to hear it, but her laughing grew more intense and then turned into crying. So was crying so hard, she was taken back stage with a teacher as they helped console her. Her tears were not just from that one time on stage, it was a overflow of emotions that didn’t know where to go or what to do, except in that moment, the best thing to do was cry. Who knows what other things came out in those tears in that moment.

So it’s now the day of the celebration and the first group up is the dance class. In the corner of my eye, I see Wendy laughing at the kids on stage. I immediately go over to her and tell her, that we are going to try something different, but laughing at others or yourself is not the best way. We practiced breathing techniques or looking at the wall instead of others to calm her nerves.

But my nerves were really going all over the place, hoping a repeat of the dress rehearsal wouldn’t come to fruition again. It was time for Wendy’s part and I was holding my breath. I was so shocked, amazed and proud of the job she did. You could tell that she was nervous and was uncomfortable being up there, but she said her lines, without one laugh and scurried of the stage when she was done. I WAS SO PROUD OF HER!!! She confronted a fear with such courage and bravery, it was inspiring to me. At the end of the show, I gave her a big hug and told her how proud I was of her and that she as an inspiration to me. She looked at me with a sense of humility and gratefulness. I don’t know how many times people have genuinely thanked her in her short life. I asked her what was the most important thing she learned in theater class and she said, "I learned more about God".

Quotes from Kids in the Class

Kevin- I would like to have the characteristic of a lion so that I can run really fast away from violence.

Samy- I would like to have the characteristics of a butterfly so I can have wings to fly all over the world and see different countries.

Erick- The most important thing I learned in theater class was not to kill people (8yrs old).

Deyri- The most important thing I learned in theater class was to confront my fears and keep moving forward.

Story of Sara

The play for the theater class was Noah’s Ark of Hope in La Limonada, 2008. The kids wrote out their stories about an life incident that did not start out very well, but concluded with a happy ending--similar to biblical story of Noah’s ark. Sara´s story was about her brother being shot and killed 2 weeks before camp. The day of the celebration was his birthday. As she was acting out her story, she was pretend crying over his dead body. Soon her drammatic crying turned into deep tears of pain. One of her teachers went and consoled her. The fact that she is only 10 years old and she had enough courage to act out her own story of pain, but also of hope that her brother is now in Heaven with God, was braver than what most adults would be able to do.

The Blessing

2008-12-08T01:12:00.000-08:00

By Gina Stickney
Dancing Instructor, Diaspora of Hope Guatemala

"Juan", I said making eye contact with him. "Necisitiamos tu en el groupo."

Juan turned his head down and started to descend from the cement post he had climbed. This post had been a challenge for everyone not to climb, play or rest on. In this beautiful open airy space covered by a palm tree leaves, the cement post were the only ‘walls’ to lean against, an environment that allowed for little room to hide.

Juan had been having a hard time focusing all morning. I had already spoken to him once about following directions.

"Juan." I said again firmly. He was joking around, not being a part of his group and trying to get some other kids to play around as well. "Ok Juan, I have asked you twice. " This means you sit out for a bit because you are not following the rules. Do you know what rule you have broken?" He shook his head and looked down" "Mantenemos nuestras manos y pies junto a nosotros (We keep our hands and feet to ourselves) y Tratamos a los demás y a nuestro ambiente con respeto (We treat others and our environment with respect).

"If you choose not to follow our class rules, than you cannot be in our class. I asked him to think if there were any other rules he had broken, and when he would coms back to the group how he would change his behavior. He didn't say anything, but seemed relieved to get to sit out for a bit.

After about 3 minutes I invited him back to the group. He smiled and looked down and shook his head no. "No, you don't want to come back", I said, "Well you cannot stay there and not participate Juan, you would have to go see Hermana Tita" Then he agreed to come back in. At this point, it was nearly lunchtime, thankfully his time out of the lesson was helpful and his behavior was calmer.

Than at lunch, I spoke with Tita about the situation with Juan. She and I called Juan over and spoke with him about his behavior in class. He seemed very sad and embarrassed. He told us what rules he had broken. Then Tita spoke to him and then me. We told him how important he was, how important it was for him to be in class and respect the teachers, his classmates and himself and we told him how important it was for him to learn. I thought he was going to cry. Then Tita said to me, “would you pray for him?” Oh wow, here we go I thought... I have not been one to pray out loud for people. I wasn’t raised praying out load like that, but I had remembered what Nathan told me. "Speak a blessing" So I did just that. I don’t remember what I said but I remember I felt grateful to be asked to give him a blessing. I also remember how Juan looked. He was so reverent. I wondered what he was thinking. We told him that this was the last chance. If he broke the rules again, he would have to spend the rest of the lessons with Hermana Tita. Then I gave him a hug and shook his hand and told him how excited I was to have him still in class.

After lunch we went back to class. We had been learning all week about the different forms of water and exploring how we could move like water. I put Juan in a leadership roll helping his group to review the group dance we had learned earlier. Then as they worked on their individual group movements (His group was the iceberg. Their job was to dance like ice cubes into the center of their group circle and form an iceberg that would then melt from the sun.), Juan decided to be the sun. His movement was the catalyst for his classmates melting’ to the floor and then rising like vapor into the sky. He was so committed to this movement, helping his classmates. His classmates in return supported him by following his direction and not giving him a hard time when he got a bit ahead with the timing. They made it work, all together!

When we brought together all the works the dancers had created for the performance, I needed to put some students in the front that really knew the group dance. I watched the students to see whom really had the movement memorized. Ashley, yes definitely, Ronaldo of course, but wait, Juan! He had improved so much. I was impressed at how much his behavior had changed and helped him learn! I brought him closer to the front, also away from any students likely to want to chat with him. How much his face lit up, I will never forget!

For the rest of my time there with the kids, Juan was always looking to hold my hand or give me a hug when he saw me. “Hermana Gina, Hermana Gina” and he would point to a chair for me to come and sit with him at meals. “Hermana Gina Hermana Gina” and he would hold out his hand to me.

How amazing this little boy is. So amazing of a change I saw in him from being given “opportunity”. Maybe it was the opportunity to experience following the rules, hearing the empowering voice of Tita setting consequences, holding my hand or spending time away from home… I will never know what the exact reason was. But in my heart I know that it was the art of being acknowledged, for creating and being apart of something beautiful, making choices and experiencing success. This is the power of the creative arts this is the power of Hope.

Healing Hope

2008-12-07T05:39:00.000-08:00

By Carl Clemons-Hopkins
Movement and Music Instructor with Diaspora of Hope 2008 – Kenya

In the music and dance class, we examined music creation, lyricism, choreography, and movement. During Wednesday’s movement section of the class, the students were asked what they aspired to be in the future and to take on the physicality and gestures of that person. Esther Akinyi, one of the older girls in the group, said she wanted to be a nurse, to which some of the other students began to laugh. Her response to this was one typical of Esther: a swift punch to the head. We went on to discuss how such reactions are obstacles to achieving one’s goals that can be controlled. This went to a discussion on the things we can and cannot change in our lives.

As the first few students did the movement exercise, I noticed how intently Esther watched as they walked and behaved normally and then as their future-selves. Now it was her turn. I found some things in my bag to serve as medical supplies and chose the girl with whom Esther had the aforementioned confrontation with to act as her patient. First, she went to her normally—entertaining the class and play fighting with the “patient,” and then I gave her the nursing supplies and told her she was now the top nurse in Kenya; she was famous for her compassion and gentleness and that her patient had suffered a severe arm injury and was in great pain. Esther took her “supplies” and began to cross the room. She started off silly but then looked at her props and the faux nurse hat and began to get very serious. She put on the hat, arranged her “supplies” and walked slowly and upright toward her “patient.” She then slowly and gently rolled up the “patient’s” sleeve giving much care not to touch the arm. Once this task was complete, she took a piece of tissue and softly wiped clean the “wound.” Afterward, she began to ask ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions regarding the injury before she bandaged the injury and hugged her patient. I asked the class if they saw a major difference in Esther and they all answered with a loud “yes!” When I asked Esther how she felt about the exercise, she answered happily, “I was a nurse.”

The next two days of class, unlike the first three, Esther had no physical altercations. On the last day of class, she told me of her plans to finish secondary school and attend the University of Nairobi for Nursing—a plan she had just made that day. Furthermore, she plans to focus on doing her level best now in school in order to get the grades she needs to make this dream a reality.

FROM HOPELESS TO HOPEFUL

2008-12-06T05:15:00.000-08:00

by Dorette Ligons-Ham, Philadelphia public school administrator--Kenya

Jambo! Habari gani? Mzuri sana. The Swahili greeting became our daily theme song led by Brenda, the only female local artist. It was also accompanied by a morning workout to music. The children looked forward to it and actively engaged in every motion. All the students had a story to tell but Lawrence’s story rings out the loudest.

Lawrence, a 14-year-old male, has experienced many difficulties in his young life.
After his father died when he was only five, he and his family became homeless. It wasn’t very long before Lawrence became involved with the wrong crowd and by the time he reached 10 he was living on his own, on the streets. For several years he smoked cigarettes and weed, sniffed glue and got into all sorts of trouble. He was lost and not one family member tried to rescue him. One day, the men at the Inspiration Center took an interest in Lawrence and invited him to various activities. He is now living in a home with family and is singing gospel music. He was so excited when he heard people were coming from America to share messages of hope through the arts.

He is inspired by all that took place this week and encouraged to work hard in school and not give up. He believes that he can rise to pursue his dream of becoming a music producer, artist and teacher. He is praying for a sponsor to help pay his school fees so he can finish his secondary education. He wants to open a music school for orphans and street kids, because he understands what they are going through. He will also become an important person in the community and help poor people and the friends he has made at the Inspiration Center.

Brenda is also a “victim of hope” and related so well to the children in drama class, especially Lawrence. After her parents divorced when she was about 13, she found herself with six siblings on the street for over two years. She managed to survive, sleeping on tires and finding enough food to feed herself and all of her siblings. Her youngest sister passed on because she could not take the harsh living conditions, but Brenda kept going, pleading with relatives to help. Finally an uncle took them all in. Today, Brenda is a social worker, married with two children. She was able to attend college after missing all of secondary school. Her brother plays football around the world and her sisters are all attending school regularly. They have all reunited with their mother. Brenda is a genuine example of what many poor children have been exposed to here in Nairobi and a role model for the children who live in Methare Valley. She was motivated this week to continue working with the students and find sponsors.

The poem, “Still I Rise” is forever alive in all participants.

Exploding Dreams

2008-12-01T23:34:00.000-08:00

By Celmali Jaime, Poetry in Kenya

This video is from the Poetry class but is not of Winfred

Her tribe name means “One who never saw her mother.” Winfred’s mom died when she was only a baby. Usually she was quiet, and distant. In a room of more than twenty people, it seemed as if Winfred were alone.

She rarely opened her mouth in our spoken word poetry class. Even in pictures she showed no teeth. But the lines of her poems spoke loud and clear. I flipped through the pages of her poetry book, and I witnessed her pay homage to the woman in her past she never knew. But in these pages, she also revered a woman in her future. Winfred wrote about the woman she hoped to become. Her metaphors were powerful.

One day I asked for a volunteer. I saw a reluctant hand raise. It was Winfred’s. I had her stand on one side of the room and drew an imaginary line on the other. I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. “An actress,” she whispered. I wondered how someone so quiet would be able to flourish in such a vocal field.

As a class we discussed obstacles that could defer her dream, and listed choices that would help her dreams become reality. As we discussed options, it was Winfred’s job to step forward or backwards, until she reached to finished line. I believe it was on that day, in that dark room, that Winfred began her transformation into actress.

I saw her the next day, at the celebration performance. She used her body to represent the lines of Langston Hughes’ “Harlem.” Truly, Winfred’s dream was far from deferred. There before my very eyes, stood an actress. She was speaking; not in the way I expected, but in her own, and yet very valid way.

At first I wondered if the power of poetry ever reached Winfred. But as I read over her strong words, thought about her consistently perfect attendance, and marveled at her ravishing final performance, my doubts disappeared. Winfred was quiet, yet sharp. She never had to answer the question posed by Langston Hughes: “what happens to a dream deferred?” Instead she used poetry to explode her dreams into existence.

Winfred's Anaphora
I see people laughing, playing, cooking, and singing.
I see smart houses.
I see beautiful trees growing.
I see bright flowers.
I see people painting walls.
I am like Rose Muhando.
I am an actress.
I am a bright sun.

-Winfred Ajwang

Day 4 in Haiti: Coming Together!

2008-12-01T11:39:00.000-08:00

By Alaina Cronkright, Teaching Assistant

Day Four for the Haiti team was in many regards, “preparation day” for the Final Celebration that was to occur on Friday. The drama and dance teams were working hard to put final touches on their pieces that were to be performed the next morning for the entire St. Vincent’s School.

In the visual art classroom; on the other side of the school, a large class of deaf children were working hard in an open air classroom that is split into two sections by a large chalkboard. Josue, a Haitian visual artist serving as the lead teacher was working with twelve children on their paintings on one side of the classroom, while the other students were starting to mat their pictures that they had drawn throughout the week onto construction paper. Thursday it was as if something suddenly clicked. The students had taught me enough sign language that we were able to communicate fairly well without the help of their normal teacher! And, they were very excited to take the pictures they had been working on all week and prepare them to be hung up for the next day. A visible change had occurred in their attitude towards their artwork; they suddenly were taking it very seriously and were very excited about it. They were shuffling through the pictures and finding their own. Once the pictures were mounted on the paper, they ran over to me to proudly show what they had completed.

Fast forward to Friday: once we had hung up the artwork around the room, the kids from the visual arts class rushed in and looked for their pictures. I saw student after student find their picture, point it out to me excitedly, and rush to find a friend with whom they could share their accomplishment. The students proudly drew self portraits, pictures of their homes, their country, and natural flowers and scenes of Haiti. These children not only were exhibiting hope through their artwork; but also experiencing hope through their spirit! They did not give up on communication throughout the week- they were teaching me how to sign and were very patient. Challenges did not stop these children, or their teachers. Haiti has shown me what a resilient country it is. Not only this, but Haiti is a country that revels in their artistic ability. It has been incredibly inspirational to work alongside the artists and students this week.

A boy named Juan and an Ocean that knows kindness

2008-11-28T22:03:00.000-08:00

From the beginning Juan stood out. If students were sitting in a circle, he would be on the other side of the room fidgeting with a stick. If Juan was asked to start a task he would ask to go to the bathroom or simply say, “No.” At every opportunity he was testing limits and pressing boundaries… and ultimately seeking attention. Because Juan was a bit of a favorite around the camp, he often got away with it. As I found out, he has been struggling with family dynamics and mourning the loss of his older brother who was away in prison. Yet both Pedro and I held him to the same standards as the rest of our students. When he pushed hard we pushed hard back. On our second day I pulled him aside before class started and explained that he needed to rise to the standard or he would have to leave class until he could. He still needed reminding, but showed significant improvement. On the third day I gave him the heaviest bucket to carry down to the beach where we were working… giving him leadership and a very tactile task that didn’t allow room for diversion. Not only did he handle it beautifully he also worked quietly and independently the duration of the class... almost. When I began to explain the process of our boat launching/releasing ceremony to be held later that night he announced that he was keeping his boat and wouldn’t launch it with the rest of the group. I said that wasn’t an option… We were all doing this together… We had to give up control and release our boats out to the ocean and let it decide what it would do with them. We would send any sadness we had out with the boat and keep the happy memories of our time together.

Juan seemed to accept my explanation, but as it turned out he left the class and cried. Some of the other teachers intervened by re-explaining the purpose of the boats and as I was lighting candles on the beach in preparation Juan came down with a translator. He said, “I’m sorry. I will release my boat.” I thanked him and said how proud I was.

Juan launched his boat with the same excitement as the group… he let it go knowing he might never see it again.

The next morning about 6:30am I headed down to the beach and began scanning the water’s edge to see if any boats had been returned. I did see a few boats (about 8 out of 25) and as I walked closer the first boat I recognized was Juan’s!

I left the boat there for Juan to find and smiled… the Ocean knew… knew who needed to let their boat go and who needed to have it returned. Juan needed to let go in order to find faith and trust.

Later that morning as I finished packing up our art supplies Juan ran up to me beaming and brandishing his boat. He held onto it the entire morning… several sticks of bamboo, twine, and a piece of palm bark, but to him in that moment it was better than any expensive gift.

After we returned to Guatemala City for our final celebration, I asked Jaun to share his story for our presentation, he said that he couldn't which I accepted but he then revealed that he now planned on giving his boat his brother!

Let the Art Making Begin!

2008-11-27T12:02:00.000-08:00

4:30am… It was 4:30am when I first heard the boys in the dorm next to us waking up and beginning their morning with chatter and play. I, too, was excited for the first day of art camp… but not enough to wake up that early! Yet, it was impossible to continue sleeping. I was out of the dorm by 6:30am to scout out natural materials for our boat making. I found a wonderful path through the jungle filled with beautiful treasures. By 9:00 all the students had gathered in the main pavilion where our opening ceremonies would begin. They wiggled and giggled with anticipation. With contagious energy “Hermana Gina” began teaching everyone the first dance steps to the “Vidas Plenas” theme song. All the teachers demonstrated their smooth moves and then the children followed. The students were then divided, “Danza”…. “Teatro” …. “Arte de Visuales” and in lines they marched off to their respective classes. There were a few snags: I had set out a bunch of natural objects in a circle for my first class activity and when it was time to start I realized that the amazing (and fast!) maintenance crew had already come by and put my objects in the trash. I scrambled, readjusted, and class went on! Dance and theater also had a rough start in the morning, but after some regrouping, brainstorming, and adjustments during lunch we were smooth sailing by the afternoon! The kids seem to be having a blast and their smiles and bright eyes remain vibrant. In the evening Liz (directing the camp) came to our cabin to share how she had written a check for about $4500.00 to the camp owners before they left. However, they looked at the check and simply tore it up!! They would not accept the money! With little exception everything is running well and beautiful moments are appearing everywhere. Clearly this time is blessed and we are honored to be a part of it!

Still I Rise

2008-11-27T07:35:00.001-08:00

Rebekah Wilcox, Drama

Today was another incredible day of class. The students are learning the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou and making up movements to go with it. We gave our students an assignment to tell us a struggle they had and then follow it with the words, “And still I rise.”

One small boy got up in front of the class and said, “Last night I looked for dinner, but didn’t get any. I went to bed hungry, but still I rise!” We found out later that the boy hadn’t eaten since we gave him lunch the day before, so Dorette and Said took him outside the classroom and gave him some food.

The boy came back to class very excited and active and thanked Dorette several times. When we read the students’ journals we found that several talked about going without food and not being able to study. I told Brenda, one of the local teachers, that although some children in the US go to bed hungry, most actually overeat and would not be able to relate to that at all.

Painting Our Lives Mural

2008-11-27T07:21:00.000-08:00

By Leah Samuelson, Muralist

The students are painting a mural outside on a concrete wall. Their design goes up and over three sets of bright blue metal doors. It’s hard to reach the top of the mural because there are only two short ladders for use, and the bottom of the wall is set up a meter from the ground.

We stand on the one meter tall and one meter deep cement foundation that runs the length of the building. The step down to the ground takes a whole leg. In one bottom corner of the painting is a rectangular landscape of a bad place, in the other corner is a painting of a good place. Behind the middle blue door is the poetry classroom, and it doesn’t have any lights or windows so we leave that door cracked open.

Behind the door on the left is a molasses distillery; behind the right is the Posho maize grinding shop. The street is a rocky dirt path peppered with molasses, maize, and human refuse. Some students stand across the street to survey the mural for a moment. Two and three year olds play there all day; they like to stand near the painting. Our drawing papers have blown away in the wind, along with some cups of paint that had too low levels to hold their ground. The roll of paper towel fell into the bucket of washing water.

The left blue doors fly open so the students adjust their painting positions to accommodate the molasses tar that’s being shoved out the door and plopping onto the street to stay. The students have a bit of time to work on the landscape of the bad place before a slow moving river of tobacco brown liquid oozes along the building foundation we stand on and floods us off.
Leah Samuelson, Muralist in Kenya

The painting of the bad place, with its pile of burning rubbish, polluted sky, and flooded homes comes to life. The corner with the good place is less inundated with tar so we turn to work there. The watoto are throwing fistfuls of maize kernels. We need to move upward soon and fill the floating, six meter horizontal figure with images of our lives and ambitions. Most students say they want to be artists, so maybe the giant can get tattooed with palettes and paintings.

The good place has colorful buildings, colorful cars, people dancing, surfing, and playing football in a park. Several kinds of trees are growing there. When it’s dry, the good place is a playground for the watoto. They slap the water at the beach and stand in a bunched line as car passengers; all twisting an invisible steering wheel. The painting of the good place comes to life.

View the warm-up exercise with Leah, local artists teachers and students in Mathare, or watch below. Warm-ups.

Guatamala City Meets El Faro!

2008-11-26T22:18:00.000-08:00

After shopping for supplies on Saturday and training/orientation on Sunday, our US and Guatemalan teams joined forces and met 100 students early Monday monring. We filled a street alcove and lined its contour with luggage and supplies. The children were wide eyed and bubbling with energy. It wasn't long before the buses arrived and we began the task of puzzle fitting the luggage into busses and a van... like a real life Tetris game. Once the luggage was loaded, next came the task of fitting 100 students, 27 staff, 2 bus drivers and their families all into just 2 buses. Every seat was filled and several impromptue seeats arraned! The ride was long and the traffic made it longer. We slipped through rural town, pushed up and around the mountains, and marveled as the langscape and environment changed to palms, humitidy, and sandy soil. After reaching the Atlantic coast and the town of Puerto Barrios, we began the last leg of out journey... a dirt road. It had already been raining and with every hill we were sure the buses wouldn't make it to the top. And yet they did! One hill after another the engines chugged and the wheels churned and found traction. Each hill evoked a cheer, butit was the first sight of the ocean that caused the children's energy to erupt with screams, whistles, and yelps.. We made it!
The camp is beautiful... a haven of tropical delight. Everything is extremely well taken care of and expertly crafted. The cement work alone is phenomenal.
The camp is owned by a family from the states who have have a heart for turning this land into a place of love and restoration. The owners were here our first night and we had a Thanksgiving feast (literally) and the children were given gifts of blankets, crocks (shoes), and a toy.
They haven't stopped beaming! Their difficult behavior is being squelched by beauty and love. They are safe knowing there is 7 hours between them and the dangers that haunt them at home.

Day 3- Diaspora Haiti Puts The Final Touches On The Play

2008-11-26T17:17:00.000-08:00

By day three of the Diaspora Haiti program, the leadership team felt they had a sense of the daily routine. What we did not expect was a school field trip that took all of the dance students from the program. Guerda, the dance instructor, took it in stride.

The drama group, on the other hand, worked intensely all session. Mona, the writer and director, felt very good about the state of the production. The play shares society's sometimes cruel perspective of the handicapped and the way that those with physical challenges overcome many obstacles to accomplish great things. One of the senior staff members of St. Vincent's came in during rehearsal and was so moved by the story that he has asked the group to perform it a second time at special conference for the handicapped on December 3. Everyone is very excited.

Absence of a common written and oral language sometimes presents challenges both within the Diaspora Haiti leadership team and between the teachers and the students. However, the commitment to the mission and vision of the Diaspora of Hope motivates all of us to find creative ways to share our ideas and feelings. It is, therefore, with mixed feelings that we find ourselves already half way through the program.

Day 2-A New Song and the “Compas” for Diaspora Haiti!

2008-11-26T16:50:00.000-08:00

A enthusiastic team arrived on Tuesday to share another inspiring morning with children at St. Vincent’s School for Handicapped Children. Erol Brimaire, one of the music teachers had written a new song on Monday night and was beaming as he shared it with the leadership team and children. The lyrics, in Haitian Creole, are as follows:

An Al Cheche Timoun Yo (Let Us Find The Children)

Ann ankadre yo ann ede you avanse
Paske yo chak genyen yon kote yo vle rive
Pa bliye timoun jodi se yo kep gran moun demen
Ann fe tout sa nou konnen pou yo gen yon bel demen

Refren

Ann al che che timoun yo
Ann al pote swen bay o
Gen sa ki andikepe
Gen sa ki gen dlo nan je
Ann al fe zanmi ak yo
Psk nou tout se fre yo

Genyenkip a genmanman genyen ki pa gen papa
Tout lajounen tout lan nwot sou galeri yo chita
Ann al pale avek yo fey o kwe yo se moun tou
Si nou lonje men bay o yap avanse pazapa

Equally excited, Guerda Visinet, the Haitian dance instructor, brought in a CD players and a range of music to share with the children. The featured song of the morning was the classic Haitian dance, the Compas. Regardless of the physical challenge, the children in the class reveled in the experience and made great advances in their technique.

Each day brings an increased sense of rhythm and routine for the program in general as well as each class. I have no doubt that the celebratory performance on Friday is going to be a memorable experience.

Day Two: Mural Begins

2008-11-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

Paint is everywhere in the small courtyard behind the little community center. Community residents are now gathering as a mural begins to appear on the wall. Fred Mukura and Leah Samuelson are leading 20 youth along with three team members in learning more than mural painting. Hope can be seen in the transition from the world as it is to what it can be in Mathare Valley.

In each class, children are beginning to express the realism of their lives, the hope they have for their future, and some real solutions to issues of the environment in the slum.

After the morning session the entire group walked through the Valley to visit and learn about the lives of the students.

A dream actualized through the leadership of the Haitian artists

2008-11-24T20:24:00.000-08:00

The Diaspora Haiti team had changed the location of its art camp as of late last week. The new site became St. Vincent's School for the Handicapped. Founded in 1954 by Sister Joan of the Episcopal Order of St. Margaret's, the school provides education to 450 physically challenged children. Approximately half of these young people reside at St.Vincent. The other children are day students. Many of the boarding students, abandoned by their parents, were left at St. Vincent's as newborns. These children had certainly experienced disappointment and hardship in their lives. It seemed as though the Diaspora Haiti art program might be the perfect vehicle throuh which to deepen the hope first offered by the Sisters of St. Margaret.

Given the change of location and the limited experience of the Diaspora Haiti team in working with children with physical challenges, a modified schedule and enrollment was determined. The team agreed to run the art camp for two hours and limit the number of participants to 50. Though it was difficult to reduce the number of children served, it seemed the best way to assure quality of program and intimacy of relationship with the children.

The team was first greeted by Jo, the official ambassador of St. Vincent's. Though I muddled my way through a couple of French sentences describing who we were, it soon became clear that Jo spoke English. He was extremely helpful and we moved on to our assigned spaces. Soon Jean Robert arrived, another key member of the St. Vincent staff, who quickly grasped the mission and vision of the program, and began to select and deliver children to the central room. In no time at all, we had 73 children with a range of physical challenges- blind, deaf, mute, partial or absent limbs or some ambulatory restrictions.

In the midst of assembling children, the Haitian artists immediately went to work. They began familiarizing the children with the motto, rules and song, customizing their approach to the unique challenges of each group of students. In time, children were divided into specialized art groups- drama, music, dance and visual art. The core time passed quickly and, before we knew it, the first morning session had ended.

Following dismissal, the team gathered for lunch and reflected on the experience. The Haitian artists expressed such excitement over the BuildaBridge classroom and Diaspora of Hope models, that the group was temporarily distracted with dreams of the next projects, possible locations and funding sources. The Haitian artists, and even Jean Robert, had already taken ownership of the BuildaBridge mission- to bring hope and healing through the arts to challenged communities around the world.

The Diaspora Haiti Team is energized and synergized

2008-11-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was an incredible three-day experience for the Diaspora Haiti team. The first U.S. participant, Bill Davis, arrived on Friday afternoon. He was soon followed by Alaina Cronkright on Saturday morning and Shannon Cassaday-Ho on Saturday afternoon. Despite the fact that we had not all met before, there seemed to be a natural coallescence of spirits. We easily identified tasks to be completed and details finalized before the Sunday afternoon full team training.

The U.S. members of the team worshipped together on Sunday morning at the 7 a.m. children's service at the Trinite Cathedral. Sharing liturgy with over 200 children and experiencing their leadership and faith as they read the lessons, collected the offering and guided the singing, set the stage for the upcoming week.

This wonderful morning was followed by the long awaited union of the U.S. members with the Haitian artists. These introductions occurred in the context of a special noonday concert at the Trinite Music School. The wide range of orchestral and vocal performances provided by the Trinite Music School students, opened the hearts and minds of the Diaspora Haiti team to all the rich possibilities of discovering and re-discovering hope through the arts.

Following the concert, the Diaspora Haiti team spent two hours of intense training and orientation together. In addition to the faces of those expected, new faces had heard of the program and joined the circle just days earlier. Two other Haitian artists literally appeared at the training without any previous communication. It was clear that a family had formed before hands were shaken and traditional Haitian kisses on cheeks exchanged. In some ways, the Diaspora Haiti team understood its mission and was ready to start long before this Sunday arrived. And so, we were off and running!

Kenya Day 2: Creativity Begins

2008-11-24T07:06:00.000-08:00

We drive down Juja road on Monday and we've almost forgotten the masses, the smells, the distractions of newness and begin to focus on the kids. One hundred kids fill the small area behind the center and sing the opening song composed for the arts camp. Every artist is prepared with curriculum and we move to creative spaces--open area, crowded classroom and wall.

There is one goal--get to know the kids, find out where they are, and assess their abilities.

We are short some supplies, share pencils for a while until someone buys at a local Duka. Now everyone can draw. The classes: Mural, Drama, Poetry and Spoken Word, Music and Movement, and Visual Arts. Our art therapist, Liberty Wetherill, has set some on on ones with a few of the kids who have experienced some very tragic events.

Time for daily debriefing. "The kids are very polite". "The kids have so much desire and take everything in so quickly." "Need more curriculum materials--we've covered everything for today." "We are working for even more organization tomorrow." "Local artists are great! Gifted and love the kids."

We move to the small "restaraunt" around the corner--Ugali, sukumu wiki and chapati. "it is very clean considering the location."

Heading home--we are exhausted. Dinner is at 7.

Kenya Day 1

2008-11-24T04:59:00.000-08:00

Day 1: Reality Bites

We drove in silence through Juja road on the edge of Mathari Valley. The smell had moved from that of the floral fragrance of our guest house garden near the center city to the acrid, charcoal and the pungent waste stench along the edge of Mathare Valley. The architecture deteriorated from modern buildings to temporary wood and mabati (tin) dwellings and shops. Even on a Sunday the streets were lined with hundreds-thousands of people moving in and out of the valley--coming from church, visiting friends, dealing with life. Once inside the valley, it could have been a Sunday afternoon in most any community. Little girls played jacks. They could not even afford a rubber ball and played them with the hard bounces by substituting pebbles. A local church was in the middle of an after service dinner inside a store-front building. Most people walked up and down one of the arteries that descended toward the river out of site and in the distance.

We were greeted with much welcome by ten Kenyan artists Mathare and other parts of the city. We would team up this week to offer arts classes with the theme of hope. We took a tour of the facilities where we would jointly hold classes. We talked of the plight of the children in the area. The local make shift elementary school has 843 children. The average class size was 45 in a room that was not larger than 10-12. There are no books. The major question was how do we select 100 children from the thousands in the area.

We returned to the guest house in silence as well. Our artists grouped in earnest to make further preparations for the morning.

Breaking Tamales in Guatemala

2008-11-21T19:03:00.000-08:00

A jaw dropping phenomenon met Pedro and I as we exited the Guatemalan airport customs... lines of vibrantly adorned families awaiting their loved ones. Their intricate textiles and smiles couldn't help but make us feel as if they were welcoming us too. After a day of exploring Guatemala City and its endless street diaramas of beauty with BuildaBridge liasson Liz Herrera, we headed back to our hostel where we met fellow artists, Gina and Ruchama.

Pedro opened our meal by breaking tamales to share. A simple dinner turned into a feast filled with good conversation and preparations for the coming week.
Now its time to get some sleep!

Guatemala Emergency Plan

2008-11-15T07:24:00.000-08:00

EMERGENCY PLA

US Embassy:

We suggest you to register in the US Embassy website or contact them https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ to have first hand information in case of emergency. Please take 2 photocopies of your complete passport and carry them with you. (same with the cedula for the Guatemalans.)

Food:

The meals are provided by the camp, and it is a lot like Guatemalan average meals. If you have a special need for meals, please let us know and prepare yourself in advance, because there will be no chance to have something different. We will have small chances to pick different groceries than the ones that will be provided in the meals, and that extra would have to be on your own budget. Bring granola bars, snacks, etc. in case that you want to supplement.

Lodging:

Guatemala City:

You will be staying at the Hotel Xamanek. This guest house is located in the modern urban tourist area of the city, and will be used by other guests as well. There are enough things to do, see and eat around, and is a safe area to hang around during daytime. There are a couple of malls nearby. Most of the Staff is Spanish Only.

Leaders can be provided with a key, but normally, only by leaving the building and ringing the doorbell you will get someone to open for you.

You need to bring a security lock with you, or buy one here (nothing fancy, something like this should work fine). The hotel won’t be responsible for any lost, and even do you will be there only a couple of nights, it might be important for you to have one. Maybe Dr. Corbitt can add some other specifics that I am missing.

Izabal:

You can see the details in http://www.misionelfaro.org/HOME.html.

Transportation:

We are going on a bus provided by a long-time contact for several mission trips. His company has all the permits required to go to the location, and his drivers are capable and competent. They will be there only to drop and pick us. Still to be decided if we will have an extra car over there, but the administrator of the camp will be there 24/7 with his car, and in case of emergency or if something happens on the road, we have the contact with the LITEGUA company, which is the safest bus company that drives to that side of the country.

Health Problems:

We will have a first aid kit over there, but maybe you can bring your personal first aid kit, and any medications that you need to take. Let us know about it ahead of time if this is the case, to know the equivalence of the name in Spanish.

One of the staff from the School is a certified nurse (Janina), and Liz has background and experience in First Aid with the Red Cross. In case that we need a doctor, we can contact Dr. Campos by phone (he is bilingual) and in a major emergency, the administrator of the camp could take whoever needs aid to the local hospital. In the case of the group from the US, you need to contact BuildaBridge to understand the terms of the insurance that you are going to have here, in order to use it correctly.

Contact:

We will have several cell phones with us, in case that someone needs to contact one of the artists or locals. Most of the locals will bring their cell phones, but we are not sure that all of the cell phone companies have signal range over there. Make sure that your contacts know the time difference, and be aware that during class periods, you won’t be able to answer the phone. Schedule will be provided shortly.

We will have one computer, potentially with internet access, but the usage of it will be primarily for communication overseas, and with consideration of the other 25 adults that will want to use it. It will only be available during the nights, after bedtime.

Cell phones provided by BuildaBridge have a limited amount of minutes charged on them. You need to agree on how all of you want to use them. Here are the numbers, and these are the persons that will have the phone with them. Guatemala’s Area Code is (502).

LIZ HERRERA: 5606-9392

Dr VIVIAN: 4341-7432

CHARLENE: 4379-6168

(for the last one, we just have the SIM card, so it wont work unless someone brings a phone with a charger.)

Evacuation:

Rainy season is over, but the camp is near the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, and from time to time we hear from evacuations in the villages over there because of flooding or hurricane alert. We are not going to evacuate unless the CONRED (Emergency Coordinator) form the Guatemalan Government ask for that. They are aware that we are going to be in the camp, and they will make sure that we know what to do in case of an emergency.

Translators:

We will have introductory, informative and training meetings with the local staff, so by the time that you all get here, they will know each other, and know about BuildaBridge, the songs, games, etc. that we will have. All of this is in Spanish, and I have it with me in case that you want it, but most likely you will catch it up over here. Ideas of games and songs are welcome to incorporate. (Please send the lyrics and the instructions so we can add it to the booklet that will be provided to the artists and volunteers.

Daily Schedules

2008-11-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

Guatemala

Friday

Pick Gina and Charlene at Airport (Flight schedules?)
Review shopping list/needs? Groceries?
Go to Cafnima (Charlene to deliver award)
Go Shopping
Meeting with Joel Van Dyke
They will go to sleep at the hotel.

Saturday

Pick Artists at the Airport (Flight schedules?)
Shopping whatever else is needed.
Small meeting and facts about Guatemala for the artists. (Liz)

Sunday

Meeting with all the staff attending to the Camp. This training will be at the School. We will have the full curriculum translated here.
Joel Van Dyke, Tita and Dr. Vivian are in charge or training, delegating, etc. (Liz and Joel will arrange transportation for the artists)
Maybe we can find out what needs to be said before I arrive.
(Time is up to you. We asked the volunteers to be ready for full-day training. I know that Joel wants to have a small reflection. The plan is start in the morning, take a break for lunch- walk to the Burger King through the alleys of the community and then return and finish the training). If possible, finish before 4:00.
Shopping if needed.

Monday

Gathering time for the kids: 7:30
For the staff 8:00 am at Burger King. (Liz and Joel will arrange transportation for the artists)
Check luggage, feed them and have them go to the restroom – Tita and Staff.
Departure from Guatemala City 9:00 at the latest.
Lunch on the road. The school is going to provide sandwiches for all the kids. You can prepare your own cold meal, or supplement. There will not be a bus stop for meal.
Arrival to the Camp between 2:00 and 3:00 pm
Welcome, small meeting: Introductions and Rules for the camp: (Liz, Lizza).
Assign cabins, drop luggage
Games with the kids (School Teachers). Meanwhile, Artists, Translators and as many of the others available, will have a recognition tour, re assign places if needed and start arranging whatever is needed.

Dinner
Night Program (Activity Team is in Charge)

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

7:00-7:30 – Wake up, shower, get ready
7:30 – 8:30 – Breakfast.
8:30-9:00 -- Singing and Devo. (Lead by EdT and Plantio de Jehova)
9:00-9:30 – BuildaBridge Assembly: All kids learning group dance choreography (Build-A-Bridge Staff)
9:30-11:30 -- Art Classes (Lead by Build-a-Bridge Artists)
11:30- 1:00 Rally / Sports / Swim. There will be 3 stations, by age. The adults assigned to each station will stay for the 3 periods, while the kids will rotate. (Activity Team is in Charge)
1:00-2.00 Lunch
2:00-2:30 Nap/Quiet hour. Kids in the cabins.
2:30-4:30 -- Art Classes (Lead by Build-A-Bridge Artists)
4:30-6:00 – Juegos Dirigidos (Activity Team)
6:00-7:00 - Dinner
7:00-8:00 -- Campfire, other activities (Lead by EdT and Plantio de Jehova, Sofia/Liza and Adrianna?)
8:00 -- In Cabins

Friday

7:00-7:30 – Wake up, shower, get ready
7:30 – 8:30 – Breakfast.
8:30-9:00 -- Singing and Devo. (Lead by EdT and Plantio de Jehova)
9:00-11:00 – Rehersal
11:00-11:30-Lunch
12:00 depart to Guatemala city.
Arrival around 5:30 pm

Saturday

Performance from 10:00 to 12:00
Visit to Antigua and Dinner

Kenya
Saturday (arrival
Sunday 2PM Training (location to be determined)
Monday-Friday

7:30 Breakfast
8:00 Travel to Mathare
9:30-12:00 Teaching Period One
12-2pm Lunch on site
2-4pm Teaching Period Two
4-4:30pm Debriefing
4:30 Return to Guest House
5:30 Rest and/or shopping
7Pm Dinner and Sleep

Saturday

Celebration 10AM
Afternoon: Nairobi Game Park
Evening Meal
Flight Home

Haiti (TBA)

6:30 a.m. Wake up

7:00 a.m. Breakfast

8:00 a.m. Travel & Centering

8:30 a.m. Arrival, set up and team meeting

9:00-9:15 a.m. BuildaBridge Classroom Opening Ritual

9:15-11:45 a.m. Arts for Hope

11:45-12 p.m. BuildaBridge Closing ritual & dismissal

12:00-12:30 p.m. Staff/Volunteer debriefing

12:30-1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:15-2:15 p.m. Depart for the residence

2:15-6:00 p.m. Free Time

6:00 p.m. Dinner

7:00-8:30 p.m. Prep for the next day

8:45-9:15 p.m. Sharing time/centering

9:30 p.m. Quiet hours begin

Doing Your Job

2008-11-04T08:36:00.000-08:00

In a little more than four weeks you will be entering a slum in Nairobi, Haiti or Guatemala. (Though in Guatemala the kids are actually coming out of the city to a beach resort.) Several nights ago I had a conversation with an artist who was preparing for the Diaspora. This was the first time in such a situation--but one in which they felt unusually called--but not necessarily prepared.

Working in "tough places" for the first time can be disorienting and downright traumatic. We learned sometime ago at BuildaBridge that artists entering even a homeless shelter in Philadelphia without preparation could be an emotionally (and potentially physically) difficult experience. This is one reason we spend time training artists in subjects like poverty, trauma, safety and classroom management.

The next morning I was talking with Charlene (our artist in residence). She was describing her experience in a shelter the night before. I asked her to write her expereince in several paragraphs so I could share with you. Read this, noting your feelings, and I'll discuss below. (You should also read the article on Kenyan Children--follow the link on the left or here.)

One might be able to argue that Wednesday was just another day at my site. The shelter staff was certainly not alarmed. So I too, tried to remain calm and detached. While unloading my car and wheeling my cart of supplies through the maze of hallways I waited patiently while a frenzied group said their final heated words and began to disperse.

From what I could tell something had happened between two children and the mothers stood up for their own. Bystanders watched for entertainment or took sides. Threats were shouted back and forth and people got in each other's faces, but luckily no swings or pushes. I finally made it to my room where I met some of my students who begged to help me. They eagerly tagged along while I asked about school and what they were learning.

As we saw other students, they would get excited and I reminded them that we would be starting in 30 minutes. I tried to keep their attention as we waded through another, though less severe verbal confrontation. On my last trip out to my car to park it, I encountered two women rushing toward the shelter juggling 3 or 4 children.

Both women were visibly upset. One was on her phone in what sounded like a conversation with 911 personnel, the other woman was crying and trying to catch her breath. I overheard the woman on the phone describe the location and how she saw "him beating on her." The children (all looking under 5) looked frightened and were looking around for any sign of comfort.

I helped the women get their strollers down the stairs and held doors while they pushed through. They burst into the lobby as another crowd started to gather and as staff from inside the office yelled "what's going on?" My duty served, I squeezed passed and made my way back through the maze and closed the door of my classroom where my assistants were already setting up. Ok. Now its time to start class."

So what are feeling from reading this description: empathy for the children, the mother, Charlene? Fear? Would I be safe? Questions about how you might react in such a situation? Maybe...How could Charlene go back to her class like nothing happened?

These questions are natural in new contexts, and especially difficult ones. So how do you "do your job" in difficult circumstances. I'll list these and if you have need for further discussion, you can add to the comment line and I'll add additional information.

Keep yourself safe: Don't get in the middle of conflicts--get out if necessary
Focus on the task you have come to do: Teach art to kids
Understand your role in the societal context: You are a guest artist
Don't try to change the things you can't control: You can't change a family situation, for example
Avoid over-identifying and sympathizing with the situation: You must maintain a certain amount of detachment from the situation--kids need a stable and consistent force
Recognize your own feelings that may arise from events in your past: Sometimes we may remember a traumatic situation (abuse, conflict, etc) from our past and these memories and feelings return when placed in a "tough place." e may not know we even have these feelings. The danger is then transferring these feelings to the current people and situation--they are different.
You are part of a team: In each country we are working with local leaders and artists who have experience, first-hand knowledge, and exceptional gifts. Learn from them--and when your idea is not accepted--accept the local perspective graciously
Be prepared and be flexible. Come prepared--but know that within the first 24 hours of arrival something and maybe much will change
Enjoy the experience, your life will never be the same
Make friends

The Meaning of Hope

2008-11-01T03:23:00.000-07:00

Diaspora of Hope Project Description Overview

Telling our life stories through Art is a curriculum (series of arts-based lessons) designed to foster hope in children who live in poverty. The basis for this curriculum is taken from Manifestations of Hope in Music Therapy With Hospitalized Children by Charissa Tan a Master’s Thesis April 30, 2008.

[NOTE TO ARTISTS: We are asking that every artist read and learn this introductory material. This will provide the basis for how you work with children in Kenya, Haiti, and Guatemala. Local coordinators may wish to translate this into local languages. You are free to simplify. Full WORD document versions of Hope Curriculum are available for download.
Full WORD document version of the visual arts lesson Maps of Hope are available for download.]

Why the Arts for Hope?

Based on the work in Tan's research, Music therapy (and all creative arts) enhances spirituality (Magill, 2005). While we are NOT doing music therapy, we do recognize the therapeutic (healing) nature of art-making in the following:

Hope is a spiritual theme in [art-making]
Hope is defined as “an inner drive that strives for improvement in well-being and quality of life"
Hope shifts from hope for cure to hope for comfort, fulfillment and care for others.[Children] often feel helpless and hopeless
[Creativity] enhances a sense of control and also inspires hope and spiritual awareness

The process of art making involves and parallels the skills utilized in hope-building. Art making:

involves and builds creativity,
positive self-expression,
perception ability,
capacity for empathy,
making choices,
identification and expression of emotions,
respect for self and others,
teamwork & collaboration,
risk-taking, and self-reflection.

Art-making helps build hope and helps meet universal needs of love, affirmation, meaningful productivity, purpose, and belonging.

The unique power of the arts rests with its ability to communicate truths nonverbally and metaphorically. Art products are created for the end of the course. They will stand as long-term symbols and reminders of the lesson material. They will be sung, acted, spoken, displayed, and danced to reinforce concepts and skills.

It is beyond the scope of this program to measure the lifetime impact of the program on each student. It is expected that the pre- and post-assessment that each class will complete will provide a picture of the changes to come. We believe that the lessons learned and experienced in the Diaspora of Hope will have a profound impact on their future and allow them to have a “voice” in society.

What is Hope?

Hope is the inner power that helps children transcend (move beyond) the present situation and toward a new personal awareness and enrichment of their spiritual self. Hope is is when a child realizes that a goal can be met.

An operational definition (more academic and therapeutic) is: Hope is an observable attitude of a person towards his or her current situation which is future oriented and comprises one’s waypower and willpower. It is has cognitive (thinking), affective (feeling), behavioral (acting) and interpersonal (relating) components.

How do children experience hope?

The life experiences that children have often diminish hope. However, hope can be nurtured using interactive and creative hope-fostering strategies. These include experiences that:

encourage connection to others
envision a future
set a goal and initiate an (independent) activity
focus on others beyond the self
generate routes and options to goals
evaluate reality

Aspects of Hope (You should memorize these. You can read the application in Leah's curriculum.)

There are two basic aspects of hope:

WILLPOWER (having energy to initiate & sustain a movement toward a goals)
WAYPOWER (having realistic routes toward goal)

There are aspects of hope within these categories.

Will-power (agency--the belief that one can do something--this is often called empowerment)

Future-orientation
Positive expectation
Intentionality
Initiating

Way-power (planning--this is planning and knowing the way to accomplish a life goal )

Activity
Realism
Goals
Interconnectedness
Transcendence

The basis for teaching hope in this four day camp is the student’s life story. Stories will be “told” through drama, music, spoken word, and visual art. These stories will consist of their gifts, purpose, heroes, goals & aspirations, dreams, challenges, or timelines. The content for their stories (something about their past, present and future) will be developed during the art-making process by answering the following universal questions, which correspond to Aspects of Hope:

Where do I come from (connectedness, gifts & abilities)?
Why am I here (positive expectation-purpose; gifts & abilities)?
What is the Good Life (realism, transcendence)?
How do I get it (workable routes, activity)?
What keeps me from getting it – challenges (activity, initiating, positive expectation, transcendence)?

Hope-Fostering Arts Strategy
The creative process of art-making utilized in this curriculum is a hope-fostering strategy. Students will have the opportunity to experience each of the 9 elements of hope during the creative arts process in which they will be engaged. Over the 4-day program, teachers will relate art-making to life lessons through art-based metaphors (symbols that have meaning to the children). This creates the teachable moment (the time when a teacher can speak a blessing of encouragement to the student).

This model of teaching-- art as metaphor--decides the messages to be taught. It means we need to develop the art-making project with the specific teaching elements. The process of that art form then conveys the metaphor within the art-making process. It sets up and anticipates specific points for metaphor bridging, or pronouncement (speaking blessings) to life. The art bridges the expression of elements of hope during the art-making process. The arts metaphor helps a student through other parts of their life.

Examples:

In music, a call & response welcome song teaches names and fosters interconnectedness (element of hope), especially as the students become the “callers” as well as the “responders”. The teacher follows the song with questions about how listening to and connecting with others outside of class could help them.

The “I come from…..” poem reinforces interconnectedness to elders, community and family. Teachers take advantage of the moments following the recitation of the poems to point out how where we come from connects us to a long history of others. The content of the poem provides content for their “stories” told through art, which can be a springboard from projecting their stories into the future.

Each arts-based class teaches some elements or “tools” of that particular art form: diaphragmatic breathing, salsa turn, color mixing, character sketching, etc. The teacher points out that just as it is important to know the tools of the trade for an excellent art product, so it is necessary to know the “tools” they have to work with to create the work of art that is their life.

Each art project will involve students in planning some aspect of the project together, making choices and setting timelines for how to accomplish its completion in four days; or planning aspects of the final exhibition. The teacher points out that just as these elements are necessary in doing the art project, so are they necessary to reach goals in life. Asking what are their goals & timelines, routes for getting there, etc., provides content for their “stories” through art.

Each art project will include indentifying and overcoming obstacles to the art project (how can we attach pictures without marring them, how do we cut down a three-minute monologue to one minute in order to fit a timeframe, etc.). The teacher points out that the same processes used to overcoming obstacles in the art project are the same as those that can be used in life. Help students identify obstacles in their lives and have them apply some of the same principles or processes.

This curriculum incorporates all the elements of, the BuildaBridge Classroom framework. Teachers using this curriculum should first be trained in all aspects of the BuildaBridge Classroom.

Metaphors, key teaching points and other phrases and slogans related to this curriculum can be made into posters to enhance the classroom environment and learning.

Message/Theme/Metaphor:
Creating a hopeful life is like creating a work of art.

Curriculum Goal:
The Goal for the Diaspora of Hope is to provide an art-making experience that fosters, and allows young people to experience, discover, and express hope.

Curriculum Objectives:

To teach students the basic elements of at least one art form (dance, spoken word, music, and visual arts).
To teach students the 9 elements of hope-building.
To teach students the BuildaBridge theme song, mottos, and values.
To provide students a safe and creative learning environment
To increase students’ awareness of purpose in the world through an examination of past, present, and future

Outcomes:

100% of the students will complete their art-making process as indicated by their inclusion in the final exhibition. The successful completion and exhibition of the art products are themselves the full expression, indication, and manifestation of hope.
90% of the students will effectively utilize basic art-form elements to produce at least one quality art product.
80% of the students will be able to state 4 elements of hope.
90% of the students will be able to express themselves on a Likert rating scale of expectation of fulfillment on at least one desire
100% of the students will participate in a final cohesive multi-art production as an authentic assessment of their knowledge gained in hopebuilding.
70% of the students will increase knowledge of hope-building as measured by pre-post test.

Those attending and participating actively in all sessions, completing all assignments, scoring at least an 80 (Excellent-Good) on the post-assessments, and participating in the final authentic assessment celebration will receive a Certificate in Hopebuilding.

Number of courses/lessons:
4 lessons over the course of 4 days

Learning intelligences utilized:
musical, intra-personal and interpersonal, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal

Materials needed: (to be determined by lead teachers)

Evaluation method(s):
All classes will be evaluated using:

pre- and post-test questions (BI’S FORM TO EVALUATE BASELINE LEVELS OF HOPEFULNESS, RISK FACTORS, ETC.)
student observation sheet listing the aspects of hope and used for capturing examples and number of students responses on each.
Teacher report
pre-post on artistic skills for each art form (from teachers)

Final Exhibition
As students experience the art-making and creative-learning process, they will be preparing for taking part in a celebrative exhibition on the last day of the program. This will allow them to showcase what they’ve learned to their peers, teachers, family members, and guests. Teachers from each art form will work together to design an integrated celebrative exhibition that will allow a seamless display of the week’s creative work. This celebration will give everyone the opportunity to appreciate and celebrate what each student has accomplished, both, individually and collectively. The celebration acknowledges this yet unseen lifetime transformation, while commemorating their participation in the program—a small deposit on the rewarding return of their future.

Maps of Hope

2008-11-01T01:51:00.000-07:00

Diaspora of Hope Curriculum armature
Art Activities, Goals, and Metaphors
Days 1 – 4
Leah Samuelson
10.05.08

Curriculum Description/Overview: Students will concurrently create each his/her own 1x1 meter map of “Who We Are: Maps of Hope” and one class “Life Box” (or treasure box) in which to place the rolled-up maps.

DAY 1
Goals: Introduce project ideas. Students learn to use oil pastels, start up their own maps, and start the Life Box.

Metaphor (and Aspects of Hope to watch for): A map is a way to show ourselves and others what our lives look like. It can show where we come from, where we are, and where we will go. It can
show what we look like on the outside and the inside.

Look for:

Ways to foster self and life awareness in drawing content choices (realism & transcendence).
Initiative with color and design choices.
Intentionality with nature bits chosen for Life Box.
Engagement (activity) with pictorial material and setting as students hunt for nature bits.

Lesson Breakdown (Art Activity):
Maps: Students design and apply decorative title and border motifs- reference creative lettering and motif books.
Instructor demonstrates oil pastel and blending techniques.

Box: Students paint a latex/acrylic base coat on entire box. Students gather sticks, leaves, etc from nature to decorate box later.

DAY 2
Goals: Lay-out space on maps for self portraits and images of life. Begin basic designs for Life Box.

Metaphor (and Aspects of Hope to watch for): Making a drawing is like talking without words.
Colors and lines tell stories to our eyes.

Look for:

Future orientation as students combine elements of where they come from with where
they are going.
Initiative with color and design choices.
Generating routes to goals and interconnectedness in partnering in creating tile shapes to fit Life Box.

Lesson Breakdown (Art Activity):

Maps: Do activity called, “I Come From” to generate map content.
Practice drawing things we “come from” on extra blank paper with oil pastels- reference pictorial land, animal, and people books.
Practice drawing a self portrait (part of map content).
Instructor explains how map will be a combination of images that will describe our lives
(including where we come from , where we are, where we are going, and a self portrait) and demonstrate how to plan for and arrange elements in the space of the 1x1 meter map.
Transfer or re-draw life elements onto map when ready.

Box: Will eventually be covered by poster board tiles, so students will cut patterns of the size and
shape of tiles to fit each surface of the box. Also students draw a diagram of the box that shows the position of each tile. Students devise a way to label for position both the diagram and the real tile patterns in correlation.

DAY 3
Goals: Continue developing map contents. Apply aging techniques to entire map. Decorate poster board tiles for Life Box.

Metaphor (and Aspects of Hope to watch for): Transferring or duplicating a drawing is like carrying a message from one place to another. Our “aged” maps will be a message to new comers and to our children’s children of the hopeful lessons from our past and the hopeful goals of our future. Oil and water techniques mix in interesting ways. There are changes we can find in life- beautiful things we can add that can work together, without erasing motifs of yesterday.

Look for:

Interconnectedness and intentionality in explaining intentions of their work to other students.
Generating routes to goals in experimenting with how to construct Life Box decorations.

Lesson Breakdown (Art Activity):

Maps:

Students either present one at a time to the class, or engage in an open roam and observe time their plans and progress with their maps.
Instructor gives helpful suggestions on how to think about solving spatial and drafting problems.
Instructor can demonstrate graphite transfer technique.
Students continue developing map contents with oil pastel.
Instructor demonstrates wrinkling/creasing and tea/coffee staining techniques to age maps.
Lesson on oil and water not dissolving one another.
Students apply aging techniques at the end of the day and allow maps to dry overnight.

Box:

Use paint, oil pastels, and bits of collected nature to decorate poster board tiles for Life Box.
Attach nature bits with glue, needle and thread, etc.
Students should discover their own best ways to attach things.

DAY 4

Goals: Finish both maps and box and design ways to store and present them.

Metaphor (and Aspects of Hope to watch for): We can work together to find ways to share our lives and our plans with new comers and friends. Our “maps” will teach them things they didn’t know and we can learn from our observers things we didn’t see.

Look for:

Future orientation in planning how work will affect viewers.
Interconnectedness in engaging with viewers.
Positive expectation in carefully rolling or folding maps and placing them in the Life Box for safe keeping and special showing.

Lesson Breakdown (Art Activity):

Maps:

Finish drawings on maps, even on top of dried aging techniques.
Roll up and tie maps (tie with special ribbons or cords), or fold up, or devise other way to store them in the Life Box.

Box:

Attach finished tiles to box with a staple gun. Students should discover their own best ways to attach things.
Design the rules and rituals of by whom and when the box can be opened and its contents presented.

SUPPLIES:
Smocks
Paper towels
Plastic cups
Plastic drop cloth/covering
Scissors
Pencils
Erasers
Paint brushes sizes 4 and 10
Latex paints
Oil pastels
Q-tips
Odorless paint thinner
1x1 meter substantial paper
Blank sketch paper
Staple gun and staples
Poster board
Colored tissue paper
Tacky glue
Spray adhesive
Needles and thread
Ribbon/twine/cord
Pictorial books (lettering, motifs, land, animals, and people)