Diaspora of Hope (1)
Diaspora of Hope is a one-week camp that engages local and global artists collaboratively to bring hope and healing to children through therapeutic art-making in the toughest places of the world. This includes children’s programs in refugee camps, slums,orphanages, and other places where children have or are suffering from trauma as a result of extreme poverty, violence, or catastrophe. BuildaBridge forms alliances with local organizations by providing them with the necessary training to serve the most vulnerable children in a cross-cultural context. Using a Hope curriculum developed from extensive research on hope building, DOH supports local community organizations with sustainability and capacity building. Diaspora of Hope is a catalytic event to stimulate long-term work with children and communities.
BuildaBridge and Refugee Family Services (RFS) were waiting for the last act of their BuildaBridge Arts Week Celebration, and all eyes were on a smaller boy at the front of Class 4. Eh Ku Soe projected a sense of serenity and calm as he stood with his back to the audience, facing his class, arms high and ready to begin conducting. No one had coached him to stand with such poise; it just came naturally over the course of the week as he became more knowledgeable about what sounds he wanted produced and how to bring them about. With a flick of the wrist, he signaled his classmates to begin.