Jan
27
For our first month of two-thousand and nine, The Lab has been on a brief hiatus from the bi-weekly Enrichments we hosted last semester. Using this time to reflect and reorganize, we’re writing grants, recruiting more volunteers, evaluating our work with students and staff, and planning for another semester at Homecroft School.
A recent grant writing/fundraising success for The Lab happened through DonorsChoose.org, a not-for-profit web site where teachers submit project proposals for materials or experiences their students need to learn. DonorsChoose.org writes, “These ideas become classroom reality when concerned individuals, whom we call Citizen Philanthropists, choose projects to fund.“
Read more about what’s going on at The Lab:
In September, we posted our first project to DonorsChoose.org, titled “Mic Check 1, 2 – Can You Hear Me?” It was fully funded by 15 Citizen Philanthropists in just over three months. We now have two new Blue “Snowball” microphones for our recording studio as well as blank CDs!
Check out our new projects posted to Donors Choose.org! Citizen Philanthropists have donated amounts from $10 to hundreds of dollars – it’s up to you! Make a difference for youth at The Lab!
- Lights, Cameras, Action! This proposal is for a digital video camera and DVD-Rs for youth to do video journalling, practice interviewing & public speaking, and create documentaries.
- Youth, Truth, Empowerment Photography. This proposal is for digital cameras for students to explore photography.
Along with all the work toward capacity building that is happening around here, we are also expanding our options around mentorships and small groups for students to come to us, at Homecroft School.
In the last two weeks, volunteers and guest artists have come to The Lab and worked with students in small groups and one-on-one creative art mentorships. These include:
- a sewing & knitting group with four high school students
- a yoga group with sixteen junior high students
- a tour of The Rondo Community Outreach Library with students 5th through 10th grade
- one-on-one mentorships in cooking, African drumming, painting, and photography
- and two new high school students coming to The Lab to mentor younger students in creative arts and academics
While we pause to reflect on what we have done and think toward the future; we see all around us the new ways in which this program is growing – with more students, staff, volunteers, and guest artists bringing creative empowerment to even more young people in St. Paul Public Schools.
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