This is an educational and interactive Community ARTS Resource Exchange. Please feel free to download any information that may benefit a community arts program in your area. We would love your input... Introduction Mission and Goals Guiding Practices Events Peace Event Documents Links Click on images to see a larger version. Pages Created by: Paul Hillman 01218 hits since 01/25/2009		The Thoughtful Warrior curriculum designed in 2008 and piloted in 2009 through a partnership of Cultural Arts Coalition: Celebrating Global Connections & Maricopa County Sherriff’s Office Lower Buckeye Juvenile Education Section Points of Contact: Judy Butzine, co-director, Cultural Arts Coalition jhb6@mindspring.com 602.375.9553 Melanie Ohm, co-director, Cultural Arts Coalition melanie@conceptsconsultinggroup.com 480.510.2377 The Opportunity & Timeline: The MCSO Education Section engaged in a partnership with the Cultural Arts Coalition (CAC) to develop programming that supports student recidivism. The designated project team worked with Judy Butzine and Melanie Ohm to refine the CAC’s suggested curriculum that recognizes the MCSO educators’ needs and goals in support of this youth population. The resulting program can be sustained in-house by MCSO staff or provided to the Education Section by trained practitioners. The long range goal is to establish a documented framework for other institutions of correction across the country. The MCSO Project Team comprised of staff leadership: Debra Miller, principal Debra_Miller@MCSO.maricopa.gov 602.876.7404 Lisa Meneses-Virden, educator L_Meneses@MCSO.maricopa.gov Chad Cantrell, educator C_Cantrell@MCSO.maricopa.gov Margie Stewart, educator M_Stewart@MCSO.maricopa.gov Loretta Karstetter, educator L_Karstetter@MCSO.maricopa.gov The MCSO education staff and the CAC co-directors completed the comprehensive initial design process for The Thoughtful Warrior curriculum in December 2008. This youth development program is currently being piloted during January and February 2009 by the Melanie Ohm & Judy Butzine of the Cultural Arts Coalition with the involvement of identified education MCSO leadership. During March 2009 the entire Design Team will evaluate the program’s effectiveness for on-going implementation in the MCSO system. The structure of this program aligns with artspace – a new initiative spearheaded by the Phoenix Office of Arts & Culture (POAC) in partnership with Arizona Department of Education, Arizona State University Herberger College of the Arts and Arizona State Libraries. The vision of artspace is to establish a new model of educational experience to ensure students are self-confident and successful in school and can make a positive impact in their community, developing the abilities of students to create work and respond to creative work in many disciplines, building skills for the imagination and innovation necessary for the 21st century workplace. Connecting organizations that share ideologies, such as artspace and the Cultural Arts Coalition, is essential to shifting thought around the role of arts in education. For more information about artspace contact Jocelyn Hanson, Director of Arts in Education for POAC at jocelyn.hanson@phoenix.gov or 602-495-0189. Intentions: a holistic and authentic learning process in which students encounter ideas, events and materials in meaningful contexts with complex, life lessons at the heart of the learning process to cultivate an environment of respect for all in keeping with one educator’s comment, "Their STORY is bigger and more important than their crime!" developmentally appropriate learning experiences that involve investigative processes, self-monitoring and problem-solving skills engaging higher-order thinking programming that is social, collaborative and democratic, encouraging learning in a socio-cultural context, preferring cooperative over competitive approaches to achieving goals and creating a shared space for meaningful work with a collective purpose. It is about understanding self in relation to others and community programming that deals with themes that have a universal focus and promote dialogue and/or creating a rich, interdisciplinary learning experience in safe community settings to empower participants with new skills to provide conversations that instill ongoing trust, ability to PLAY, and reinforced goal setting in order to reduce recidivism to provide participants with arts modalities to engage in self-expression, enabling students to understand more about themselves and teachers to know more about who their students are in order to better address student needs. Arts programming is reflective and evaluative providing opportunities for students to reflect on feelings, thoughts and new information, as well as a means for teachers and students to evaluate themselves, others and the effectiveness of the process to examine and explore the 21st century skills students need in order to succeed in moving across multiple environments in living and working: thinking critically and making judgments; solving complex, multidisciplinary, open-ended problems; creativity and entrepreneurial thinking; communicating and collaborating; making innovative use of knowledge, information and opportunities; and taking charge of personal and social responsibilities. (from Partnership for 21st Century Skills “21st Century Skills, Education & Competitiveness: A Resource & Policy Guide, 2008) through this partnership to create a program that is sustainable from within MCSO Methodology: This curriculum is based on an understanding of the arts as a vehicle for communication and learning. The underlying principles and ideals are: participant-centered, issue or theme driven, experiential and expressive, holistic and authentic, reflective and evaluative, collaborative and democratic, developmentally appropriate, relationship oriented and celebrative (see the CAC website for a full explanation of The Nine Guiding Practices http://www.ArtsCARE.org/cac3.text.shtml). The arts are a means to reveal personal and communal stories, bringing them to awareness for reflection, understanding and celebration. Arts processes are used to lay a foundation for engaging in the processes of critical thinking and problem solving. This methodology of instruction serves the whole person, recognizing the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual needs of the participant. To this end, the acronym L.E.A.R.N. will be a thread that ties together the following practices in each lesson unit: Laughter, Exercise (breath and relaxation), Art making, Reflection (reading and writing), iNquiry. One educator with MCSO commented, "Before you can treat someone, you need to find out who they are." Every art-making activity is intended to support the MCSO youth in moving away from fear and a sense of powerlessness and anger to a better understanding of themselves. Art making activities provide youth with the capacity to identify fresh possibilities for their lives and make positive choices upon leaving the facility. These new behaviors benefit self and the community where one resides. This philosophy of "art making with intention" in the classroom provides continuity of learning through a framework that allows for the informality of creative process. In the art-making activities and outcomes, the educator has access to each student’s reflective process, as well as a means to monitor the effectiveness of the activity in meeting overall program goals. The total curriculum is a sequential, developmental process identified in six thematic units that are based on literature, ensuing dialogue, personal reflection and art making activities. Each activity builds on the previous day to make up the lesson unit. These facilitated art workshops are not focused on acquiring art skills such as those taught in technical art classes. The goal is developing expressive and communicative skills through the arts, and through the arts to create a SAFE classroom setting for student and teacher alike. The learning environment is semi-adjustable for the various requirements of this program. An open space is required for some activities, tables for others, exhibition area and a conversational circular seating arrangement when indicated. The Thoughtful Warrior Learning Overview [Each lesson unit is three, 2-hour days – 3 lessons per week over a six week time frame] The photos reviewed in the remaining documentation flip back and forth between teacher training session and youth pilot project. First Day of class with youth as they examine and explore the art history books and artifacts. UNIT ONE: I See You/Life Doesn’t Frighten Me (Revealing Fears) The theme of this unit is Personal Strength & Understanding. The class participates in a variety of exercises to guide them through a sequential process toward heightened awareness of self and others and new skills in self reflection, self-monitoring and personal decision making. The activities involve literacy, breathing and controlled movement; a brief introduction to art history; discussion defining the thoughtful warrior concept; critical inquiry through communal dialogue; and art-making exercises that include drawing, writing, collage and painting. Examples of “Thoughtful Warriors” at the local and national level are presented. Photo documentation throughout the six weeks of instruction is an essential means to record and assess the programming. Youth create their drawings that reveal their fears and their capabilities to overcome their fears. Music is continuously planning in the workshops when appropriate. Youth paint first canvas-first week. UNIT TWO: I See You, I See Myself – Sight/Insight (Identifying strengths) This unit expands upon the concepts of unit one, Personal Strength & Understanding. The class participates in a variety of exercises to guide them through a sequential process toward heightened awareness of self and others and new skills in self reflection, self-monitoring and personal decision making. The activities involve literature being read in the communal storytelling circle; breathing and controlled movement; and an introduction to the art history lesson of portrait and medium of photography with an art-making exercise that includes critical inquiry through dialogue, photography, drawing and reflective writing. The collaborative painting of a second canvas continues. Cards are created to send to family members with each participant’s images documenting their strengths noted below each self portrait. Youths’ responses to their identified STRENGTHS. Youth approach second canvas, second week with new and more positive images. Youth created this canvas. UNIT THREE: Honoring Others, Honoring Ourselves (Goal setting) The theme of this unit is Honor and Respect. The class participates in a variety of exercises to guide them through a sequential process toward heightened awareness of self and others and new skills in self reflection, self-monitoring and personal decision making. The activities involve literature, breathing and controlled movement; an introduction to the art history lessons of beads and honoring spaces; and two art-making exercises that include critical inquiry and dialogue with beading, assemblage, drawing and writing activities. Art History Display for youth in the jail artroom. Youth read this book by Michael Jordon in the “Circle of Power” and discussed it’s important messages concerning: Fears, Goals, Commitments, Teamwork, Leadership and Fundamentals of accomplishing one’s goals. Artworks are brought in each week to illustrate a concept. Here the symbol of the Eye in a painting by Luis Gutierrez as a universal means of communicating messages of protection and wisdom is exhibited. Eye Beads make up this youth’s bead strand of meaning to him. Another youth adds Milagros (Miracle charms) to reveal his story of significance. The combining of the Bead Strands and the Honoring Boxes to reinforce the message of symbols and material forms as communicators of subliminal information. UNIT FOUR: I Create Myself The theme of this unit is Creating My Vision of Myself. The activities involve literature, critical inquiry and dialogue; breathing and controlled movement; and an introduction to the concept of the mask. The art-making exercise includes the creation and adornment of a three-dimensional form from clay with reflective writing. Display during the youths’ 3 day workshop on masks. Masks handled are made of all kinds of materials and are from all parts of the globe. Art making activities involving the hand make one feel… Youth examine and explore masks from around the world. Melanie provides a visual example for a youth who wants to create a traditional Mayan mask. Each mask like each youth is individual and personal-UNIQUE & SPECIAL!!!! UNIT FIVE: Shields of Power The theme of this unit is My Shield of Power. The class participates in a variety of exercises that guide them through an examination of self and the symbols that best represent “self” to others, both as a means of protection and a way of envisioning a desired future self. The process uses metaphor and symbol to identify desired attributes, self reflection and personal decision making. The activities involve visual literacy skills, breathing and controlled movement; an introduction to the concept of the shield and the art history of this form; and an art-making exercise that includes critical inquiry and dialogue, drawing, shield making and writing. Mindful movement exercises began each of the 18 sessions. These 20 minutes of controlled breathing and movement activities are a means of balancing the physical being with the emotional and intellectual components of ourselves. This is the second activity that involves mixed media and collage technique to convey symbolically answers to questions relevant to the project. These questions were read out loud to a visiting group of educators from the office of the Maricopa Board of Education. Dr. Covey, superintendent, was most respectful and impressed by the art and the processes that were put in place to assist the youth make more thoughtful choices upon leaving Lower Buckeye Jail. UNIT SIX: Bridge to a New Beginning – Vision Mapping My Future The theme of this unit is creating a Bridge to a New Beginning. The class participates in a process for envisioning self and their community and resources through personal and group reflection, personal problem solving and decision making. The activities involve literature and visual literacy skills; breathing and controlled movement; a return to the concept of the personal collage and the new experience of creating a communal collage. The youth participants are asked to assess the entire six-week program through dialogue and written questionnaires. Reading in the “Circle of Power” is an important literacy activity that begins many of the sessions following the Mindful Movements activities. Even though the story may be from children’s literature, the themes are universal in their messages. Here the story of Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson http://www.threecupsoftea.com/ who created 78 schools for girls in Afghanistan and Pakistan was discussed. The context of the book is about identifying one’s strengths and in the face of transitions in one’s life, move forward one step at a time in a thoughtful manner with achievable short term goals. The final day of the six weeks of activities is a celebration of self, community and the gathered projects created during the 18 sessions.