I want to help light the path of kids whose potential has been over shadowed by the limited means in which they live.
My torch of choice - Art.
For me Art provides the ideal base for community development and education initiatives because it provides...
- a way of capturing and validating the stories of people whose voice has been muffled by poverty
- an engaging method of learning that can transcend cultural and language boundaries.
- a medium for expression and enjoyment that might not otherwise be experienced.
While working as an Education and Public Programs Officer at the Museum of the Riverina in Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia I started to explore the idea of creating and delivering art programs for disadvantaged children that not only supported their academic and social development but also raised their profile in the local and broader community. After becoming a qualified primary teacher I further developed my craft while working as the Performing Arts Coordinator at Richmond West Primary School in Melbourne.
So now for the next frontier - South Amercia.
With a bit of spanish under my belt and a loco infatuation with all things latin american I am about to embark on a journey to Huaraz in Peru. Here I will work for Seeds of Hope a local registered children charity that provides a safe environment to help impoverished students achieve academic and social success. To achieve this, Seeds uses a multi-facetted approach, combining tutoring, emotional well- being classes, daily nutritious meals and a family environment focused on educational success.
My aim - to give children of Seeds a chance to become an artist (una poco artista) - a singer, a dancer, a puppeteer, a photographer. In doing so each art project will help foster the academic and social development of the participants as well as culminate in an online video that will be used to promote Seeds of Hope.
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