In September 2019, Al-Bustan launched Tabadul: Reflecting on Our Immigrant Experiences Through the Arts at Northeast High School with support from The Philadelphia Foundation and The Community Fund for Immigrant Wellness, a participatory grantmaking initiative.
This initiative grew out of An Immigrant Alphabet, as we sought ways to bring back themes and lessons from this wide-reaching public art project to NEHS. With in/after-school arts programming, we facilitated bringing to the school community teaching artists working in the mediums of visual art, writing, and podcasting. The primary goal is to for students to work individually and in groups in creating works that explore their identities, encourage self-expression, amplify youth voices, and develop leadership skills, especially among immigrant students.
Participating students chose topics they are passionate about and are working with Al-Bustan’s Director of Public Education David Heayn-Menendez on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. When asked in a preliminary survey about what changes they want to see in their school, city, or the world, students were truly at a loss. This was not because they failed to recognize the need for change or to see the problems around them, but because they had never been asked before to put into words what they thought and felt about important issues. At first, some students complained about cafeteria food or school uniforms, but most took the opportunity to write about issues related to violence, poverty, and prejudice they saw in their communities and the world.
What began as a small group of young visual artists and poets in September, grew to more than 30 participants by December. Guided by journalist and teaching artist Lorraine Ustaris since the end of November, the students have begun to craft stories and podcasts that explore a range of topics from colorism and fitting in, to trust and family trauma.
In order to provide more access to the Tabadul program, since late November we have expanded our arts integration offerings by having our teaching artists lead workshops in classes with a significant number of immigrant or second-generation students. Through graded work and semester-long projects, developed in consultation with the faculty, students are exploring their immigrant and youth experiences, identities, and hopes for the future. The in-school program not only allows students to reflect and express themselves through the arts, but also incorporates an art therapeutic approach in consultation with art therapist Alaa Alhajji.
This became evident during the second grading quarter when Lorraine worked with sixty ESOL students in three of Ms. Stacia Parker’s English classes to produce podcast style recordings focused on immigration, culture, race, and refugee issues. Many of the students expressed that it was the first time they had talked about what they had gone through or realized how many of their classmates shared similar experiences. Their recordings will be edited in post-production by a group of podcast students after-school and produced as a series on Al-Bustan’s Soundcloud.
No one cares what we have to say, what we go through, and how hard it is for us to learn in English. Adults don’t care and teachers don’t understand. I have had to start over. Thank you for listening to me. – Columbian student in podcast group
In addition to the student-focused programming, since October, 15 Arabic speaking parents have been meeting at night for two hours twice-a-week for art therapeutic group conversations and English classes. One hour focuses on community building, English conversation, and American culture to help immigrants and refugee parents navigate their new home while building a future for themselves and their families. The second hour is an English Language class taught by instructors fluent in Arabic. In 2020, once-a-month information sessions led by experts will provide assistance on topics of great interest and need to the parents, such as naturalization, mortgages, and college admission. This new direction for the program takes a holistic perspective on the role of the arts in the health and wellness of immigrants and refugees in the Northeast High community. It has been heartwarming to see a group of parents who are seeking a better life through education forming a community as they chat over WhatsApp and during class over snacks provided by Al-Bustan.
This year Al-Bustan received general operating support from The Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Samuel Fels Fund, William Penn Foundation, and Ford Foundation
