With some 55 thousand primary schoolers countrywide out of school on summer vacation, it means that there's a preponderance of idle hands juggling time that's longer than rope. While some do seek summer employment, most "lamp" around looking for any diversion. 100 have found just that at an art camp being held at St. Mary's School. Today we visited the camp to see what they are up to:
Alfonso Noble reporting,
The purpose of the camp, says Pamela Braun, organizer, is to have children gain an appreciation for art as a discipline and a creative outlet. For the next two weeks over 100 children will be receiving instruction in drawing, drumming and dancing. But more than having instruction and appreciation for the arts they are being taught to have some responsibility for their actions.
Pamela Braun: Organizer Art Camp
"When you're working with the art, the art comes from inside. They are responsible for each mark they make so they learn to act on their own impulses rather than impulses of others. To show the children that it's O.K. to act on individual impulses rather than try to copy behavior, say other children, gang behavior, that kind of thing rather than when you get out on the streets lets do what the next one does.
And avoiding that copycat pitfall is exactly what Torren Jones, has come to the camp for. This talented young man says if he were not here between 9 and 12 everyday, he would default to sitting at home in front of the international babysitter.
Torren Jones - Camp Participant
I mi wah deh home just the watch the T.V. or watch some BET.
Tarike Cadle - Camp Participant
I mi wah di watch TV too. Sometimes I go out go work with my friends them. Sometimes I go out to fix motorcycle.
Torren Jones
This program really help me wah lot because this keep me out of trouble because when I deh home I normally go out with my friends to do bad things.
Alfonso Noble
Like what?
Torren Jones
Like go beat up people and so pan the street so this program really help me wah lot.
Alfonso Noble
Are you glad that you are doing this for a few hours everyday?
Tarike Cadle
Yes sir.
Alfonso Noble
Do you think you'll improve your skill?
Tarike Cadle
Yes Sir, da that I di do right now.
Pamela Braun
They would be at home, in the neighborhood, on the street right now. They are here at 8 o'clock in the morning, they are waiting for us to reach here at 9'oclock. It is something that provides a hundred and fifty hours of intervention.
And those hours of intervention are valuable not only for the children but those city residents that would have been plagued by the hundreds of out of school children running amock. But aside from having them off the street and out of trouble.
Pamela Braun
They love it, they just absolutely love it. Children by nature are creative. I mean if you watch them in the playground. A can becomes something, a football, so they are by nature. We have a lot of very gifted artistically gifted children so what they want is they want advanced instruction that they are not able to get in the regular class room.
And now for the next two weeks, the classrooms of Saint Mary's are alive: in one room sounds pulse from buckets converted into impromptu drums; another is crowded by children making secure crayon strokes; while another is energized by the vibrance of youth as they dance to familiar tunes.
The summer program is being sponsored by the IDB and is coordinated in conjunction with the Image Factory.