This has been an exhausting and rewarding day – wow!! The trip to Camp 1 was longer than I had remembered; it took almost an hour and a half of riding through the jungle on dirt roads.
The first meeting we had was with the IAP Committee members, the project was now called the Intergenerational Arts Project (IAP). There were many faces I recognized and it was a good feeling to see them again – they were happy to see me as well. We talked about the project
We discussed the future of the IAP and possible improvements or modifications to last year’s Program. For the most part, the response was overwhelming – all of the committee members at the meeting explained how they needed more space – room for the classes/training. They want to construct more training centers or restrict the number of students. Also brought up was the need to have longer periods for training (their term for teaching the youth.)
Overall, the youth are anxious to start again and have already made a list of subjects to be taught this year. The IAP worked well in that it addressed most of the ethnic groups in the camp. Those groups who did not participate – as the program was open to all – didn’t because they were not prepared.
They all mentioned the need for help in training the teachers, a methodology of sorts. This is exactly where ART’s curriculum comes into play.