#summerartsprogram

Summer is here and on July 1st we kicked off our 2019 summer arts program. In anticipation, we have spent the last two weeks training and preparing with over thirty middle and high school counselor staff, early professionals, and seasoned arts educators. Throughout this time, we have discussed BAX’s core commitment to radical hospitality and what it truly means to welcome people of many different backgrounds, ages, and interests into one space for personal and artistic exchange. From a training on “understanding and working with children with disabilities” to “building equity,” we have looked inwards and asked ourselves what we need to show up as our true selves, to feel comfortable, and, more, feel courageous and inspired to build new social and creative skills. We’ve then drawn connections between our personal needs and the needs of the young children with whom we will work, a process that has built compassion and prepared us for taking on the important role of caretaker.

Throughout this training, my heart and mind have been in dialogue with our political climate. As the parent of two young children and as a citizen in this country, I am despondent over the escalating news of child abuse happening due to our immigration policies. As a leader in BAX education and community engagement, I feel challenged like never before to take action. It is our responsibility and our honor to prepare children to step into the leadership roles for which they are destined. I believe strongly in action at a local level. I believe our communities are truly a microcosm of the greater society that we live in; we must look at the deep rooted challenges and solutions that exist right in front of us. It is for these reasons that I am an eternal optimist. When I observe the ways our summer staff (again, ranging from ages 13 all the way up) interact with each other — how they provide each other with mentorship, demonstrate empathy and sincere interest in each other's differences, and show such a rich capacity to vision and act creatively — I am filled with hope for the future. In two short weeks, these young  professionals have transformed into a genuine and generative collective staff, they are working together to cultivate solutions and care for our incoming summer students, and in them I see clearly the world we can shift towards.

Wishing you all a rejuvenating and joyful summer.