iWitness: Creativity and Self
Funded through the Carrie meek Foundation COMmunity Grant Program, the WPHL collaborated with the Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance to coordinate the: iWitness: Creativity and Self (a youth arts initiative). It was a Creative Arts Two Week Summer Program – from July 29, 2024-August 9, 2024 – at the Lee Caplin School of Journalism + Media at FIU.
iWitness: Creativity and Self (a youth arts initiative) aims to develop a strong sense of community awareness, individual pride, self-worth, commitment, and involvement among youth (rising 10th-12th graders) in Greater Miami-Dade County. Arts and culture have the potential to not only build safer and more supportive communities but also to unearth the root causes of violence. Arts, creativity, and humanities must act as a rebuttal, not just to the past injustices but also to the present moment, to ensure equity and a democratic system in the future. Over the course of two weeks, our cohort of thirty high school students (rising 10th-12th graders) will embrace through writing; visual language and music, creative expression as a pathway to deepening a sense of self-worth and purpose.
The intensive creative arts curriculum will be led by a series of writers, musicians, and photographers. Students will be followed by mentors in the Fall 2024 term, and have bridge programing through December 2024. There will be a final exhibition on November 2, 2024 at IPC ArtSpace in Little Haiti, to engage students in their creative and individual journeys to self and societal awareness. Parents will be invited to see their children thrive and interact with one another and the community.
How, we ask, can each of us find ourselves and develop empathy through creativity?
This program is supported by the Carrie Meek Foundation in collaboration with Breakthrough Miami, Haitian Cultural Arts Alliance, and iWitness: IPC Institute for Visual Journalism at FIU.
Check back soon to learn more about our Ransom Everglades Collaboration/Bowden Humanities Fellows.