BuildaBridge's Discovery Program served on average 50 children per week through eight classes in five transitional housing sites during the Fall of 2011. In total, BuildaBridge's 5 teaching artists and 11 volunteer classroom assistants taught 87 children, 90% of whom were between the ages of 6 and 12. Classes included hip-hop/African dance, visual arts, photography and spoken word. Student participants of the spoken word class learned about the legacy of Langston Hughes, the similarities and differences between poetry, spoken word and rap music and practiced the art of writing their own poems. Students in the visual arts/photography class practiced book-making and created journals using photos they took, paintings, and written entries about their life. Other Visual art students focused on a journal of their life using calligraphy, written stories and artistic influences from the medieval time period while another class created a collaborative, group quilt consisting of their artwork. Dancers learned the origins of hip-hop dance and the roots to African culture coupled with modern dances such as 'The running man', 'The Jerk,' and Doug E. Fresh (Dougie).
See photos from the Fall term here.
The Discovery Program will resume February 27th and end May 11.
