Creative Conversation- Global Citizenship: Promoting Education through the Arts

October 11, 2010-Dallas, TX, – Join us during October’s National Arts and Humanities Month as Preservation LINK, Inc. partners with the Dallas Contemporary to host a Creative Conversation called Global Citizenship: Promoting Education through the Arts on October 30th, 2010.

Art leaders and children and their parents will have an opportunity to discuss the importance of learning and giving through the arts, collectively create artwork that will be given to the Mahenzo Mission School, a developing school in Malindi, Kenya, and learn more about a school supply drive benefitting the school.

Date: 10am-3pm, Saturday, October 30, 2010

Location: The Dallas Contemporary, 161 Glass Street at Riverfront, Dallas, Texas 75207

Admission: $1

For more information, visit www.preservationlink.org or contact Karen Colbert at kcolbert@preservationlink.org

Check back for more information!!!

Service Learning Project-Collecting School Supplies

The  students from theSIGHT and SOUND program are currently participating in a service-learning project- collecting school supplies for the children at the Mahenzo Mission School in Kenya, Africa.

This service learning project was developed in order for the SIGHT and SOUND students to be a part of making a difference as well as teaching students the value of giving to others who are less fortunate.

The SIGHT and SOUND students have already created boxes to be placed in the halls of El Centro Community College. However, there is more that you  can do to help collect supplies- create a collection box and find a location for it to be placed (i.e. church, job, school.) We will be having a donation drive during the National Art and Humanities Month in October.  During this time, Preservation Link will be showcasing the photographs of students from the Mahenzo Mission School as well as collecting school supplies.  Please check out the website http://www.preservationlink.org/ for more information. We believe that every person is able to serve and help others during their lifetime.

Thank you,

Karen A. Colbert

Resident Scholar, Preservation Link, Inc.

Joel, one of the students from the SIGHT and SOUND program created a video, ENJOY!

Introducing the Students at the Mahenzo Mission School

Habari Za Asubuhi (Good Morning)!

I want to introduce to you some of the students at the Mahenzo Mission School that I had the opportunity to teach. The students were very respectful, sweet, and gentle. They are very bright and vibrant individuals as well. I had the opportunity to record and ask them their name, ages and what they wanted to do when they grow up. Many of them wanted to grow up to help their family and their people. To have so little but have the biggest hearts allowed me to be in the presence of the Lord. I remember when I was teaching one of the afternoon classes and I walk into the classroom, the students were sitting and waiting patiently for instructions. I said to them, "Good afternoon class" and they all stood up and in unison said, "Good afternoon teacha." Wow! Amazing! that was the epitamy of my teaching experience.  I believe every person is valuable and deserves to be recognize. That's why it was so important for me to capture the students on video. I wanted people to see their heart, their soul, to see them as humans with a purpose. Although these students are far , technology as allotted them to be near in soul and spirt. All of the videos are recordings of some of the young girls at the school. The first video is Anna, 14 years old. I see leader written all over her. She won my heart and I am so happy to have had the opportunity to meet Anna. Enjoy the videos!

Student Journal: Exciting things this summer

The most exciting things  did this summer by Aaron Steward

The most exciting thing I did this summer was going to Six Flags with my friends. I was pretty thrilled to go because it had been a while since I’d been and I was going to ride the tallest ride there, the “Titan”. Six Flags is a theme park located in Texas, which is famous for its Looney Toon and Superhero themes. Many people enjoy the different holiday themes that the park offers like Fright Fest during Halloween, and Holiday in the Park during Christmas.

            Many people visit the park for different appeals. I went because a friend invited me. We were anticipating on being afraid to ride the Titan, but when we finally got to it we couldn’t wait to get on except for one person. My friend Wanye was the only one to chicken out so we rode without him. As we made our way to the tower of orange metal a since of fear crept up my spine, but I ignored it. We finally got into our seats and strapped up. There was no turning back now I had to ride. The coaster slowly made it to the top as  I yelled to the top of my lungs “Hands Up”. Then we dropped down at an amazing 75 mph. I was having the time of my life as the coaster whipped, swirled, and looped around every corner.

Student Journal: Exciting things this summer

The most exciting things this summer by Jaquaylon Rollison

          The most exciting thing that I did this summer was going to El Centro for the Sight&Sound Program. It was the most exciting thing to me because I had a lot of fun meeting new people. During the Sight&Sound Program I learned how to use Photoshop.  Before I came to this program I had never heard of Photoshop. The instructors showed me how to use Photoshop to create print media. Now I am very good at using Photoshop. I was also excited when we went to city hall. I thought it was exciting because I meet a very important person and I got to see some of the things that go on in city hall. In addition I learned how to make music and how to work different things in the audio room. Now I can teach others how to use different things in the audio room. Those were the most exciting things that went on this summer. 

Student Journal: Exciting things this summer

The most exciting things this summer by Kiea Wylie

I have done exciting things throughout the summer in these past few months. The overall exciting event was the trip to Denver.  I went with the Youth Ministry at my church, called Light Church. It was the second Missions Trip we attended  and I have to say it was a very useful, spiritual growing trip. Denver is a glorious city, mountains in every view, and active people every way you turn, weather at a nice breeze or the up most ecstatic environment. If I were to live in any other city, Denver would be the place.

While there, we hit our main focus, which was to bring more people into God’s Kingdom. Specifically meeting the needs of the vagabonds (homeless). We did things such as Breakfast Plunges, which is going out on the streets and finding someone who appears as if they are homeless and take them to breakfast. Other intriguing events consisted of volunteering at one of the oldest church’s in Denver, where there is hot meals giving out to the homeless every Tuesday, distributing pastries and cold water to Day Labors, assisting in a local church camp with kids of all ages with different ethnicities and also spending a day as a homeless person. Emotions ran through and out the entire week. What a uplifting feeling it was to know that I was doing a good deed.

I enjoyed myself each and every step of the way. It’s important to appreciate what you have when you have it. Always be thankful and grateful for the little things in life, because if you lose them it will definitely be hard to overcome. A homeless person is not an animal, but to look deep inside that person’s background you will be amazed at the words expressed from that person’s orifice. 

All about Kenya

Before I began sharing my personal experience, I wanted to share with you a brief history about Kenya. I found various websites that provides more  facts than I could possible know since I only spent a short amount of time there. Furahia (Enjoy)!

Introducation to Kenya:

Kenya Flag:

Coat of Arms:

Official Name : Republic of Kenya
Motto: "Harambee" (Swahili): "Let us all pull together"
National Anthem: Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu ( "Oh God of All Creation")
Capital: Nairobi
Largest City: Nairobi
Official Languages: Swahili, English
Government: Republic
Independence from the United Kingdom ( December 12, 1963)
Republic declared December 12, 1964
Area: 224 080 sq mi
Population: 34 707 817 (According to July 2005 estimates)
Population in Malindi: The population of Malindi is 117,735 (in 1999 census). ^ "Population of Local Authorities" (with towns), Government of Kenya, 1999:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_authorities_of_Kenya
Currency: Kenyan Shilling (KES)

http://www.dongo.org/pictures/kenyan_money.jpg

Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. Lying on both sides of the equator, Kenya is bordered by Sudan and Ethiopia to the North, Somalia to the East, Tanzania to the south, and Uganda to the west. Indian Ocean is on the south east of Kenya and Lake Victoria on the west. Earlier Kenya was a colony of British. Kenya gained independence form British rule in 1963, and became a republic in 1964. Nairobi is the Capital of Kenya and the largest city. A large part of Kenyan population is of Black Africans divided into 40 ethnic groups. These ethnic belongs to three-linguigistic families- the Bantu, the Cushitic, and the Nilotic. English and Swahili are languages used for communication both officially and in domestic use. Many Kenyans have their own languages inherited from ethnic group, thus Kenyan speak three languages, English, Swahili and a local language.  For more info, www.http://kenyaeducation.info/.

Photos taken on my trip:

Airport in Nairobi                                 At one of the hotels in Nairobi

  

   

                                        On the streets of Nairobi

                                      On our way to Malindi

                                       Airport in Malindi

                                       In the town of Malindi