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BuildaBridge International
September 2010
Update
September 30, 2010
BuildaBridge International
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Greetings!
 | | Artology Show at PMA |
September marks the end of our summer Artology program and the start of BuildaBridge's largest programming areas: Discovery and our International Diaspora of Hope trips. We are excited to share highlights from all of our programs in our newsletter below, fulfilling our mission to share knowledge with other artists and bring hope and healing to children both in Philadelphia and abroad.
Artology ended with a dynamic celebration at the Art Museum, revealing the children's work (left), their accomplishments, and stories. Over 200 parents, staff and volunteers joined the 62 young artologists in the celebration, along with Artology Director, Charlene Melhorn, who coordinated and directed the seven week camp this summer.
To date this year, BuildaBridge has trained over 40 volunteers and staff, adding to our large network of Artists on Call. As of this month, BuildaBridge has reached its goal in serving over 250 children annually in Philadelphia and contracting 10 teaching artists through both Discovery 09-10 and Artology. Our international goals include developing sustainable partnerships, building capacity of local organizations through enlisting and training artists for service, and reaching 5000 children annually; to date, BuildaBridge has served over 1,000 children and developed partnerships in six locations.
We are encouraged to share our news and excitement with you! We hope you'll take the time to read the stories, updates and news we have to offer. Consider serving with BuildaBridge this fall.
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Discovery Program begins!
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 | | Joy of Beginnings |
BuildaBridge's 2010-2011 Discovery Program began Monday September 27 with help from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund in partnership with the Philadelphia School District's Office of Student Support and seven transitional housing and shelter sites throughout Philadelphia. Five of those sites we partnered with in last year's Discovery program and two are brand new.
Our sites are:
People's Emergency Center,
Women Against Abuse,
St. Barnabus Mission,
Project Rainbow,
Jane Addams,
Oxford Circle Christian Development Association,
Dignity Housing
Seven teaching artists will engage children in a total of thirteen classes in the disciplines of culinary arts, drumming, African dance, hip-hop dance, creative writing, drama, photography and visual arts.
Our 2009-2010 Discovery program evaluation revealed that shelters felt children were not having enough interaction with both the teaching artists and other children each week. Developing those relationships was key in their holistic development as children, as artists, and as citizens of Philadelphia. As a result, we have added multiple classes to each site so children can be engaged more, increasing our presence both qualitatively and quantitatively.
Discovery 2009-2010 finished in June of this year and we are proud to share the outcomes of the programming with you. Last academic year a total nine teaching artists contributed 456 programming hours of arts education and intervention classes to 260 children in seven sites. Twenty volunteer classroom assistants gave over 400 hours of their time to assist the teachers in their classes, making Discovery 2009-2010 a great success!
A big thank you to all of our teaching artists, volunteers, and staff who made this happen and we look forward to those working with us for Discovery 2010-2011!
See a video of Discovery participants, classes and testimonials here.
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A Way To Give
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Please support our mission of arts relief and transformation. Click on the orange button to donate to BuildaBridge.
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International Programming
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BuildaBridge is excited to announce our upcoming international trips occurring in November and December! Diaspora of Hope Arts camps are what we call catalytic events. BuildaBridge enters into long-term collaborations with local organizations to develop local artists and organizations who serve the needs of children--to catalyze the engagement of arts intervention and education as powerful tools for hope and healing. By building the capacity of the organization to integrate the arts, local arts programming is sustainable. In the past several years we have seen an increase in the number of local artists involved and stronger local organizations in their capacity to work effectively with children. Training of teachers is always a part of the experience. By participating in Diaspora of Hope artist teachers become a part of BuildaBridge's goal for sustainable arts development and the hope and healing children living in poverty deserve.
 BuildaBridge is returning to Kenya for the 3rd time in conjunction with Artist on Call, Kaylie Sauter, who is already on-the-ground providing arts classes to children living in the slums, building an artist netowrk and preparing for DOH 2010.
We return to Guatemala for the 7th time with a team of four from the United States already training, preparing and raising money to finance the project there. Dr. J. Nathan Corbitt and Dr. Vivian Nix-Early will visit our partners there in Guatemala, including artists and a local university in early October to continue dialogue and discuss the upcoming arts camp.
As a part of our 10-year committment to Haiti, we will return for a week in November to partner with Madame Luc's Orphanage and a school in Ponte Sonde. We will return to Nicaragua again as well, where we will partner with artists who been trained by BuildaBridge and have begun an arts camp on their own this year. BuildaBridge is currently recruiting artists for these trips: Haiti : November 19-27
Kenya : November 27-Dec 5
Nicaragua : November 27-Dec 5
| | Please read about these Artist on Call positions and contact Danielle Dembrosky, Programs Administrator, for more information on how to get involved! |
| Calling all Artists! | |
International Service Intern Positions
India: Creative art therapist to work with 9 children in an orphanage. Six months minimum. Local food and housing provided. Fundraising expected.
Haiti: Ceramicist to work with local street children in connection with a Catholic mission in Cite Soleil. One month pilot project. One daily meal provided. Housing provided. Artist must raise any additional financial support. Potential contact with local ceramics company. Ceramics teaching related to job skill potential.
Haiti: Musicians and/or drama teachers to work with street children in connection to a Catholic mission in Cite Soleil. One month pilot project. Support needed.
Haiti: Creative arts teacher (music, dance, drama, visual art) for a local orphanage. One-three months living on-site in tent and preparing own food. Very rustic conditions. This is a follow-up project begun with artists in August 2010. Includes teaching artistic skills to children ages 4-15. Support needed.
Haiti: Sculpture and environmental artist to create sculpture garden for childrens' safe space in an orphanage that contains rubble and found metal objects. One week-one month. Support needed.
Please see our International AOC Diaspora of Hope opportunities here. Volunteer Teaching Assistants for our Discovery Program in Philadelphia.
Do you love kids? Do you know how to handle them? Classroom Assistants play a valuable role in a successful art education class. BuildaBridge generally partners with homeless shelters and transitional homes to provide art education and art therapy to children and youth residing there. Main tasks include helping the lead teacher run the class and building healthy relationships with kids. Some experience with the arts is preferred, but we are more interested in someone who loves children and has a heart to serve.
Contact Dr. Nathan Corbitt if you're interested in participating or learning more about international opportunities. Contact Danielle Dembrosky, Programs Administrator, if you are interested in the Classroom Teaching Assistant positions. | |
Attend these trainings and participate in BuildaBridge!
| If you'd like to help out with any of BuildaBridge's future endeavors, please save the dates for these upcoming training sessions. Space is limited. Please make a reservation with Danielle Dembrosky, Programs Administrator.
Introduction to Arts in Communities (formerly known as All Things BuildaBridge)
Wednesday, October 13 from 6-9pm BuildaBridge Classroom Training for Teaching artists, Artists on Call, and Teaching Assistants
Tuesday, October 26 from 6-9 pm
Curriculum training for Teaching Artists and future AOCs
Saturday, October 30, 9:00am to 2:00pm Cross-Cultural Training for International AOCs
Tuesday, November 2 from 6-9pm
Arts Relief Training Course (for International AOCs)
TBD (early November)
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All training sessions will take place at the BuildaBridge House, which is located at 205 W. Tulpehocken in Germantown, Philadelphia. See a map here.
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BuildaBridge would like to recognize...
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BuildaBridge would like to thank the Non-Profit Finance Fund for their grant donation on August 10, 2010. This contribution will aid in the development of our technologies and online university. The NFF also provides BuildaBridge and other non-profit grantees technical assistance and monthly trainings in organizational development.
On July 20, BuildaBridge received a $20,000 matching grant for its Discovery program from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federally-funded, public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, under the NEA's discipline of "Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth". This grant will help BuildaBridge provide the best possible arts education programs to children and youth living in emergency homeless shelters and transitional homes in Philadelphia.
BuildaBridge also received funding from the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance to assist with all of our programming needs including Discovery and our International trips. BuildaBridge would like to recognize and congratulate Tom Kaiden on receiving the job of President of the Cultural Alliance and we would like to thank the GPCA for a wonderful members meeting on Sep. 27: Arts & Culture: It's How We Grow
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| Painting a Brighter Future | |
BuildaBridge is once again embarking on an adventure as we seek to raise $75,000 for the organization. The title of this year's campaign is the same as last year's because we feel this is what BuildaBridge does best in the work, services, and trainings we provide for both artists and children...share knowledge. time and speak a blessing into the lives of others in order paint a brighter future for the world we live in.
 | | Child fascinated with Triangle |
Why are we doing this?
General Operations funding is most crucial for BuildaBridge to maintain programming both in Philadelphia and overseas including administration, coordination, general operating costs and the hundreds of hours of training we provide. The General Operations Fund is the backbone of BuildaBridge, supporting more specifically our personnel, training costs, assessments, evaluation, development, recruitment of artists and volunteers and marketing. Our aim is to reach $75,000 this year and we would love to have you on our side as we aim to serve more children annually through enlisting more artists around the globe!
Why Give?
1. BuildaBridge is well run, organized, and has a history of sucess in bringing hope and healing to children worldwide
2. BuildaBridge is frugal; we do the most programming with the little finances we have, offering classes and camps at little or no cost to our participants and trainings free for those involved with us
3. BuildaBridge partners with effective and sustainable organizations both here in Philadelphia and overseas
4. Artists on Call have impacted children through arts programming in almost 10 countries in the past 10 years
5. Including all community and local programming, BuildaBridge serves 350 children in Philadelphia every year
6. BuildaBridge evaluates and assesses all of our work
7. BuildaBridge provides quality training in how to integrates the arts into our communities, education systems, and in therapy
Painting a Brighter Future begins October 15 and will end December 31, 2010
Please see our online donation form found at our website. We look forward to bringing you more information on this campaign and invite you to partner with us as serve children in the tough places of the world. | |
Introducing....
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BuildaBridge would like to introduce our newest staff members and reacquaint you with our continuing staff. Please read here about Magi Ross, Shelter and Community Programs Liason and Danielle Dembrosky, Programs Administrator. Both Magi and Danielle worked with BuildaBridge last Fall; Magi taught African dance at two Discovery sites while Danielle volunteered and completed an internship in the office.
Our Discovery teaching artist staff includes:
Maritza Ogarro, Hip hop dance Magi Ross, African dance Julie Rosen, Visual Arts Danielle Boyer-Graves, Culinary Arts Brandi Jeter, Drama & Creative Writing Gina Fererra, Drumming Sarah Thompson, Visual Arts & Photography | | |
BuildaBridge Institute
| BuildaBridge Annual Institute celebrates 10th Anniversary June 1-6, 2011
Please see the website in October for more information.
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Mission and Services
The mission of BuildaBridge is to bring hope and healing to children, youth and communities in the tough places of the world through creative arts education and intervention. We engage artists, educators and creative art therapists in service to others. The Arts Relief and Development program focuses on Education, Healing and the Environment. Since 1997, our services have included creative arts camps, extended internships, special arts-based projects in all art forms, creative arts therapy, consulting, and training in education methods, therapeutic art and psychological first aid, and arts-based community development. |
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Dr. J. Nathan Corbitt
BuildaBridge International
215.842.0428 |   |
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