Art for Refugees in Transition
Posted under Art, Charities, |
There are 20 million refugees and displaced persons in the world today. Over eight million are children.
-- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2005.
Art for Refugees in Transition (ART) provides curriculum and training programs to engage both children and adults in refugee communities in visual, performing and creative arts drawn from their own cultures. These activities provide local and international relief institutions with tools to help refugee communities recover from the trauma, terror and dislocation of war.
Art for Refugees in Transition has undertaken a number of projects that we here at MOTIVE applaud. Programs like ART can help those displaced by war hold on to their heritage and culture, and ease the suffering caused by war.
From their website, here are some of their project achievements. We urge you to learn more about ART on their site: http://www.artforrefugees.com
Initial Project: Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand
In 2003, in partnership with the IRC, ART's pilot program selected and trained adults in two Burmese refugee camps in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand, to teach traditional Burmese dances, songs, folklore and music. ART's staff and the elder refugees worked side by side with over 600 youth teaching them to make and play traditional Burmese musical instruments. Due to the overwhelmingly positive response from the refugee community, the IRC integrated these activities into its existing programs, and provided the costumes and materials for the musical instruments. ART returned to the camps in January and February 2004 to expand its program which continue to operate today. The program is now run exclusively by the refugees and has become self-sustainable.
Second Project: Colombia
In August, 2005, A.R.T. partnered with Fundacion Nuevo Retiro, Red de Solidaridad Social and the Universidad de los Andes to implement an ongoing community arts program in barrio Tintalito, Bogota, Colombia. Over 100 community members participated in the program, with two-hour classes being held four days a week in music, songs, stories/folklore and handicrafts. The University assigned students from the Anthropology, Psychology, Literature and Fine Arts departments to help A.R.T. to institute and then administer and evaluate the program; the students earn academic credit for this work. They have also developed a manual to train the next set of University students so that the program can be easily replicated throughout Colombia. The program continues today.
Discuss Art for Refugees on our forums here: http://www.motive-art.org/forum/showthread.php?t=17
