CALLING ALL Creative Arts Therapists, Musicians, Visual Artists, Drummers, Muralists, Dancers, Actors, Teachers, Storytellers and Photographers.

Do you want to use your talents to mak e a difference in the life of a child while experiencing another culture?

At the BuildaBridge offices, Taequan is famous for his ending quote in our Artology video, "If they are not going to have Artology next year, I'm going to cry!"  Artology is our art and biology summer learning program that utilizes the Philadelphia park system as a vibrant and evolving classroom.  Taequan attended our two week pilot program in 2007.  He was an eager and bright student.  We did have Artology the following year, but when we inquired about Taequan's registration our hearts sank.  We learned that despite his desire to go to Artology his poor school performance required him to attend summer school instead.

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This season we are hosting four fabulous interns who come to BuildaBridge with a wide range of life experiences and skills.

Ejolee Mitchell, an International Relations major at Syracuse University, is spending the summer learning about how the arts can be used for transformation in an international context.

Alysia Williams comes to us from Eastern University, and is completing an administrative internship with this year's Artology summer camp. This internship will serve as her leadership practicum towards a Master of Arts in Urban Studies with a concentration in Youth Development.

Kim Jupinka, B.A. in Photography, is currently wrapping up her time as an intern with the BuildaBridge Institute '09, but will be returning in August to begin a year-long term of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA member!

We'd like to thank Ejolee, Alysia, and especially Kim for all the hard work they put into this year's Institute, and look forward to Janet's contribution in the months to come! To learn more about interning with BuildaBridge please contact Sarah Heady, Volunteer Coordinator at (215) 842-0428 x15 or volunteer@buildabridge.org .

We are excited to announce that BuildaBridge International's traveling art exhibit, iDignity is currently on display at Stapeley in Germantown. The show will run till the end of June and is open to the public M-F from 9am-5pm.

The iDignity project of BuildaBridge builds on the work begun by artists of the Mennonite Central Committee in Canada.  It  seeks to show the dignity of those living in poverty through images that reflect hope, resilience, humor, self-respect, joy, uprightness, pride, love and never giving up--an inherent persistence to live life with self-respect knowing one has worth to those around them.  While many of us seldom see this dignity because we lack the personal relationships with those in poverty, BuildaBridge seeks to artistically celebrate the dignity of the invisible people in the US and abroad. 

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The Seybert Institution recently awarded BuildaBridge's Artology Program $5,000 in program support. The Seybert Institution provides support for organizations in Philadelphia that serve the needs of disadvantaged children. Primarily giving to community-based organizations, the Seybert Institution has been providing support to Philadelphia agencies since 1907. BuildaBridge thanks them again for the generous support in 2008 and 2009.

The eighth edition of the BuildaBridge Institute took place at Bryn Mawr College on June 3-7. Fifty one participants from United States, Brazil, Nicaragua, Malaysia, Romania and the Philippines attended the five day intense two track training conference to learn how to use the arts for empowerment, healing and community develop ment. Twenty faculty, professionals in the field from United States, presented courses on Foundations for Arts in Transformati on, Arts in Education, Arts and Human Development, Arts and Spiritual Development, Arts in Social Services, Arts in Healing, Skills Workshops in various art mediums and Methods Lab Practicum classes at four social services sites from Germantown and North Philadelphia.

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On June 3, 2009 Dr. Cheryl Wade (pictured center) was presented with a Bridge Builder Award for her work throughout the community.  During Neighborhood Interfaith Movement's Annual Assembly, Wade received the award for interfaith work to build bridges on issues such as racial, economic and gender inequality. Her community service is both multicultural and intergenerational. Board member Diane Robertson (pictured  right)  read Dr. Wade's biography as she accepted the award. As BuildaBridge Board Chair, Cheryl has provided strategic planning and financial management for programming that serves children and families coping with homelessness throughout Philadelphia.

 
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