BuildaBridge Community Programs

The welcome song on December 1st was extra special. Why? Two children, sisters, newly arrived from Nepal just a week prior, joined the Bhutanese refugee children’s art group. The regular attending children were on their best behavior, sitting taller than normal, singing louder and glancing at the sisters to see if they were enjoying themselves. The words of the welcome song – "Hello, Hello, so happy to see you; Hello, Hello, how do you do? Hello, hello, my name is.." – took on new meaning this time. One of the children took on the responsibility of translating for the new girls. The others did their part in acclimating the sisters to the rituals, rules and values of the group. The children danced, sang and they made mud sculptures of their choice illustrating the continuing metaphor of constant change and growth in life. This metaphor started with the lesson of the life cycle and migration of Monarch butterflies to Mexico (see previous post 'Skulls made of Sugar') At ...

During their most recent group, Bhutanese children reviewed what they learned about monarch butterflies migrating from the U.S. to Mexico in late October.  Children worked in pairs to choreograph their interpretation of what the life cycle  of a butterfly and it's migration looks like.  Each pair performed their dance for the group using fabric to mimic wings and capes.  As children performed, the artists pointed out the scientific terms like transformation, caterpillar, cocoon and chrysalis in order to strengthen the group's vocabulary and academic skills.  The group then transitioned into their visual arts activity of creating mud sculptures.  The week prior, children created leaf drawings.  Christine, the visual art therapist, described how mud sculptures when they are dry are slightly more permanent than the leaf drawings, but also will not last forever.  Using these art activities as a metaphor, children were able to reflect on the things in ...

Mr. Robert Kelleher and Ms. Christine Byma crafted a lesson for the most recent Bhutanese refugee children's group about the Day of the Dead.  The lesson started with a discussion about monarch butterflies and their migration to Mexico at the start of November.  Children discussed what it means to migrate, as most of them have experienced this or heard the stories of their parents' migration. The monarch butterflies often arrive at the time of Mexico's Day of the Dead celebration November 2nd.  Some believe these butterflies carry the souls of those who have passed on and have come back to visit.  In celebration and in honor of the ancestors, families create skulls made of sugar and flowers as symbols of death and the afterlife to place on alters.  Bhutanese children created skulls made of model magic, feathers and colored pens to symbolize their celebrations of ancestors who have passed.  In future groups, the artists will dive deeper into conversations wi...

Forty-nine - the number of participants served by BuildaBridge during the 10-week Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience (PPR) groups this past summer. Twenty - the number of participants who attended at least two groups or more Seven - the number of participants who attended at least four groups or more Six - the number of artist personnel who led groups for the participants Considering that these groups were a pilot, having never been done before and conducted to gauge interest among participants, these attendance statistics shed light on the need for the groups and the interest to continue.  Participants noted that the groups assisted them in building community among one another, particularly sharing similar experiences even though they came from different parts of the world.  Artists noted many participants became more expressive, creative and were more willing to open up because it was a safe space and in addition, art-making naturally allows one to externalize the i...

BuildaBridge recently completed the first of two 10-week terms with the Burmese population in South Philadelphia.  Art Therapist Natalie Hoffmann led a team of artists including Jessica LaBarca and Liz Green in using geography as a focus for the art activities this term.  Children explored their the journeys they took from East Asia to Philadelphia through a number of art activities in addition to pieces solely focused on where they live now. Cut-out maps of Pennsylvania served as the foundation for collages, helping children understand the state in which they live and where Philadelphia is located on the map.    Maps of East Asia served as the starting point for children to draw how they got to Philadelphia and what that journey looked like to them.  To conclude the first 10 weeks and celebrate the successes, BuildaBridge staff held a celebration on October 3rd with snacks, songs and a time of sharing.  Burmese ...

BuildaBridge artists from L to R:  Jessica LaBarca, Christine Byma, Robert Kelleher, Julia Crawford & Rebecca Asch The participants in the adult group are learning from one another on many levels as are the staff of BuildaBridge and those from Nationalities Services Center (NSC).  Participants in the adult group, led by Jessica LaBarca and Rebecca Asch, are learning: How to communicate non-verbally since English is not a shared language Each piece of art may not resonate with every participant the same Similar or shared experiences can be good to process together but listening to vastly different experiences from others also holds much value Art-making is a vehicle for them to process their past, express themselves and find hope for their future As part of NSC's Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience (PPR), BuildaBridge art therapists and artists provide art therapy and therapeutic art-making groups in the community context for survivors of torture.  ...

BuildaBridge completed Year 2 activities of the Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative on June 30th, 2013.  With continued funding from the Department of Behavioral Health and new funding from the Sheila Fortune Foundation and Union Benevolent Association, BuildaBridge has already started to plan and conduct Year 3 activities.  Burmese groups will start August 22nd and run for 10 weeks until October 3, taking a small break and re-starting in April 2014.  Link to the Year 2 Report .