Arts4Peace:Rattlesnake Days and Almost Peace

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It is the final day. More than one young person was voicing aloud, "I am nervous."

Parents gathered in the foyer full of gratitude that their children had a meaningful and structured program during the Christmas break--many work and their children are restricted to the house during the day, some without supervision. The faculty arrived very early to prepare the rooms and move their projects toward completion. From 9am to 2pm, students and teachers worked together with heightened hyperactivity, anxiety, excitement and nervousness.

The expectations were high for both teaching/learning about peace-making and creating a quality art product. Is that possible? This is always the tension in arts-integrated projects that take place in a short period of time--like this arts camp. Creative arts therapists tend to work on the process and outcomes of the relational aspects while artists tend to focus on the performance aspect of their art form. Integrating both is difficult, but possible.

Was A4P successful? Yes. There is always room for improvement. Here are some of the things that we observed:

1. New teachers needed to learn about classroom management. Structure is important, and having clear consistent behavioral policies (rules) and following them helps everyone to focus.
   
2. Parent involvement in their children's experiences is essential. In this case, parents of the youth were expected--even required--to attend the final celebration of learning of their children. This is the expectation of Brandon Brown, Director of Youth and Family Services of Nu Sigma Youth. Therefore, the kids "performed" to a packed house. See photo above. Parents are also expected to talk with their children about their experience each day.
   
3. Seasoned artist teachers continued to struggle with a balance of art and teaching but always kept in mind that the kids come first. Developing any kind of art-making product can be difficult in a week, especially with behavior-based learning goals.
   
4. Peace making? Yes. The first day was near chaos with several near-fights, arguments and constant impulse control problems. The last day was stressful--they all had to present their learning--but both teachers and students worked together amidst the stress. One the last day, there was still a need for discipline as kids are kids, but it was not nearly at the same level as the first day. The most striking example of learning during the week was when two of our teachers staged a mock fight between themselves (unknown to anyone but them) and it was the students who pulled them apart and helped to resolve the conflict using the steps they had learned. We are still grading the post-test, but the students began to recognize their emotions, practice peace-making behavior, use peace-making vocabulary, and practice reconciliation in smaller conflicts. Some of the individual behavioral issues are beyond a one-week arts camp.
   
5. How about the art? You can view the photographs, but we saw a marked improvement in skill levels: mixing colors, painting techniques, dialogue writing and improvisation, movement interpretation, lyric writing and vocal technique, and teamwork.
6. Was there significant learning by BuildBridge? This was one of the most comprehensive curricula Buildabridge has developed (by Dr. Vivian Nix-Early). There were 5 teacher and volunteer meetings to learn this curriculum and prepare prior to the camp. Teachers were prepared. The ongoing challenge is to organize each aspect of the program from beginning to end. Every teacher should be on the same page about learning goals, discipline practice (enforcing rules for behavior), and needs always remain flexible. While the space was good (thanks to the Eastern University School for Social Change)--the kids were secure and there was a safe environment--there was also a need for structured physical play in an open area which was not available.
   
7. Were there any surprises? BuildaBridge has worked in some of the toughest places of the world. We were surprised to find two children who could not read or write, which restricted their involvement in some of the activities. Several children expressed joy at the camp because they had an opportunity to make friends--many are often not allowed to play or make friends in their own neighborhoods (remaining in their houses) because of the drugs, gang activity and violence.
8. Parents appreciated the blog and daily pictures, "we could see what our children were doing everyday."
   

What would we recommend for future programs? 1. There is high interest among the parents and kids for an ongoing arts program--to learn about art, but also to have structured activities for kids who live in difficult places of the city. This is expensive, and to provide quality curriculum and instruction takes appropriate funding. 2. More training is needed in classroom management, especially for artists who have not worked with children and youth. 3. Artists have to set arts standards high for all children, but balance expectations for the childrens' skill level. For example, in the pre-assessment in the visual arts some kids had trouble even drawing stick figures. Teaching basic skills is important. 4. Finally, artists will continually need to use the art as metaphor for the subject matter, drawing life lessons from the art-making process itself.

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Teaching artists and assistants for the 2008 Arts4Peace Camp.