Category: Good (Page 2 of 4)

If you haven’t been plugged into the Good Morning America controversy, I’m guessing you’re not in the dance field. Those of us in the industry have been swimming in a mass of outrage and resistance since last Thursday, when Lara Spencer, along with her on-air colleagues and studio audience, shared a laugh at the notion of Prince George studying ballet and loving of the form. This was an instance of adults bullying a child and perpetuating destructive stigmas.

As Lara Spencer has been horrified to learn, if you come for our kids, we dancers snap back. A petition on Change.org, asking that the show produce a segment on the benefits of dance education, has been signed by nearly 35K as of today. Patricia Ward Kelly (Gene Kelly’s wife), Debbie Allen, Rosie O’Donnell, and stars from the ballet and Broadway worlds have posted personal calls to Spencer and/or their testimonies of growing up in a miseducated, unsupportive, and sometimes threatening environment as a dancer. As people continue to share, #ballet4boys and #mendancetoo have been two of the trending hashtags.

“More Ballet. Less Bullying.”

Debbie Allen

I am proud of our industry for garnering our energies. We are seizing this opportunity to have a national and international conversation on the critical importance of dance education and anti-bullying. I hope that we squeeze as much out of this opportunity as we possibly can for the benefit of the next generation of dance artists, audiences, and peers. We are holding media to account. We are speaking truth to power. We are doing whatever we can to hold the space for any dancer to come into the studio if they wish; more importantly, we are doing whatever we can so that when they go to their schools and neighborhoods, they can do so not only safely, but with a level of support and recognition for their contributions.

Spencer has apologized on Instagram with vague support of individual freedoms and using an image of a field of wild flowers. She was wrong and is starting to recognize the harm done, but her generic response came off as insincere and/or insufficient to most. Spencer received so much flack on her apology that she felt it best to disable comments. Think what you will about her post, an on-air apology would be much better.

That said, an on-air apology would just be a Bandaid approach to the situation. The issue is bigger than Spencer. What she might not fully understand is the depths of the toxicity that she and the producers/writers tapped into with that segment, her banter, and her condoning of the audience’s response. This transgression was egregious enough, and the opportunity big enough, that this moment has become a moment to re-educate the American masses. At least to try.

As the online petition author, my respected friend and peer Jeff Poulin, wrote,

“We do not simply call for an apology on behalf of Lara Spencer, Good Morning America, and ABC, but rather we wish to see a future segment focus be on the benefits of dance education on young people, especially men and boys.”

Jeff Poulin

The folks at Good Morning America seem to be listening. On tomorrow’s show, Spencer will talk to Travis Wall and perhaps the professional dancers planning a flashmob dance class (dance demonstration) in front of the GMA building. Rumor is Spencer will even take a dance class on air. I truly hope she doesn’t take the typical “oh, this is so much more difficult than I thought” route. Virtuosic athleticism (physical capacities in strength, stamina, grace, speed, and flexibility) represent just a fraction of what dance offers a person. The art form instills complex patterning and pattern recognition, full comprehension of the subject matter explored in the choreography, strong recall and memory, kinetic empathy and presence, compositional intention, self-trust and personal agency, layered non-verbal communication for an attended audience, honest personal expression, grit, storytelling, discipline, capacity to work across cultures and languages… with decades of research into those outcomes and more.

In addition, I hope that the show doesn’t push the narrative that it’s only okay if men dance if they take their shirts off or maintain a certain level of machismo. Some dancers are Swayze and Baryshnikov. Some dancers are gay, bisexual, or queer. Some transgender, gender non-conforming, or gender fluid. Some dancers specialize feminine roles and explore the multiplicities of femininity in their movement. Some dance masculine roles and explore the multiplicities of masculinity in their movement. While some dance as a loved embodiment of a powerful or an elegant woman, others dance to embody a “man” who can both bound in the air and support his lady. For some dancers, they long for the day when dance education, particularly in ballet, loses its archaic gendered-ness altogether.

A colleague wrote a post that put it very well,

“This is also on the dance community. At the basic level, classes are not marketed as gender-inclusive. We close-in the definition of what a dancer looks like and who a dancer is. I strongly encourage you to use some of these incredible dancers and groups as the springboard to your re-education on dance: BalletBoyz, AXIS Dance Company, Michaela DePrince, Kidd Pivot, Roberto Bolle… countless more. Let’s all try a little bit more educated.”

Julie Ferrell

Perhaps taking this opportunity for dance advocacy on a national platform will scratch at the surface of our harmful culture. I have lived years abroad in places such as Egypt, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the U.K.; in these countries, society doesn’t question boys and girls, men and women studying ballet or dancing ballet professionally. Actually, the problem lies in ballet’s popularity stemming from the form’s perpetuation of classism and ablism, hetero-normative insistence, cultural violence and racism, and past/present acts of colonization. In the countries where I have lived, the question was not can boys dance ballet, as much as it was Can large children dance ballet? Yes. Can children with disabilities dance ballet? Yes. Can children with black or brown skin dance ballet? Of course. Can conservative Muslim, Hindu, Jewish children dance ballet? Yes. Is ballet better or more important than tap, footworking, or flamenco? Absolutely not.

So no, we dance educators shouldn’t just drop this GMA thing. This is a moment to seize, a wave to ride, a bandwagon to jump on. I recently met with the Trump-appointed new chair of the National Endowment for the Arts; I’m thinking that agency, along with Americans for the Arts and the National Dance Education Organization, can play a role this week. While we shouldn’t counter bullying with bullying, or ignorance with ignorance, we definitely can work with media allies to create change within our industry as well as out in the greater public. Good thing there are so many of us. I’ll be tuning in tomorrow, and let’s see where we go from there.

The more I do guest lectures for colleges and universities, the more inspired I become by the next generation of artists.  Many young artists aspire to do good and are already active in the world in those pursuits. Increasingly so. Lacking, though, is an awareness of what’s already at play. What options currently exist and how are different arenas of this work differentiated?

What would seem most beneficial would be an overview of the field. So here is my interpretation, integrating elements of AFTA’s Arts + Social Impact Explorer tool. Hope it’s helpful.

Community-Based Artists
Currency: Development 
Commitment: Institutional mission, giving back, often focused on one group or geography
Common issues: Economic, workforce and community development; affordable housing, food equity, transportation, community safety, city planning; passed-down history, tradition and culture; shared identity; health and wellness; aging; public welfare; prisons and rehabilitation
Duration: Years and years, Decades and decades, One generation to another
Success: Sustainability and Leadership Succession
Metaphor: Gardener

A gardener is experienced in keeping a garden healthy and productive. They are often planting and maintaining a good environment by watering, fertilizing, and even weeding the area.

Social Practice Artists
Currency: Relevancy/Application 
Commitment: Intervention, project-based, often intergroup or crossing borders
Common issues: Peace building, community cohesion, political activation, immigration, diplomacy, military; diversity, access, and inclusion
Metaphor: Chemist 

A chemist is a scientist who researches and experiments with the properties of chemical substances. A chemist will usually work as part of a larger research team, and create useful compounds for use in a wide variety of practical applications..

Duration: As long as it takes, as short as it takes
Success: Project is no longer needed, participants and collaborators are running their own programs, environment of entrepreneurialism and trust, relationships are strengthened between other parties, healthier ecosystem, priorities shifting, spurring enough social change for other things to happen
Resources:
My 2018 List of Resources for Social Practice Artists

Teaching Artists
Currency: Student Learning 
Commitment: Arts Integration/Academic standards with art-making and social emotional growth
Metaphor: Beekeeper

A beekeeper is, in essence, a manager of bees. He or she maintains and monitors the hives. A beekeeper needs to maintain healthy bees and prepare colonies for production. Beekeepers also need to follow food safety guidelines when harvesting and processing the honey. 

Duration: Academic calendar
Success: Increases in student test scores, results evidenced by pre/post student assessments
Resources:
ArtsEdge – Kennedy Center
Edutopia
Project AIM
Eric Booth

Arts Educators
Currency: Student Learning 
Commitment: Discipline-specific arts standards, training
Success: Employability, Students’ post-program achievements, where they go with it
Resources:
Dance 
Music 
Theater 
Visual arts 
Writing 
Metaphor: Pilot

The most well-known pilots are those who work for an airline company, flying passengers who are commuting or vacationing. Their primary responsibility is to operate the aircraft, but their day consists of many hours performing other tasks. Pilots check the weather and confirm flight plans before departing.

Other arenas are led by phenomenal Arts Therapists and Movement Analysts who round out this field. What’s most beautiful is when there is a referral process between these actors, or when there’s collaboration.

I’m excited to see how the next generation of socially engaged artists rework these distinctions and move this world. Thoughts?

Photo: Dance Peace project | Credit: Mohamed Radwan

Syrian and Burmese Rohingyan refugees. Children of Flint, MI. Terminally ill pediatric cancer patients and their families. LGBTQ+ teens who are experiencing homelessness. A predominantly Black preschool on the South Side of Chicago. Residents of a Section 8 housing facility. Young men in and out of the juvenile justice system. These are just some of the collaborators I’ve been fortunate to work for, with and beside in my career as a social practice artist.

I, like most artists, am prone to want to help groups and individuals who need help. Altruism and charity are natural cousins to the arts. We know this. And as identity politics become an ever increasing function of our divisive societies of The Left and The Right, marginalized communities play a major role in the work of artists on the left, and unfortunately are often played. 

Sometimes it feels as if we artists (of many races and backgrounds) suffer from own own version of The White Savior Industrial Complex. Our outreach and our “giving back” are designed with artists staying at the seat of power and program delivery. Everyone must want our arts programming; the problem is simply inequity of access, right?

Sometimes artists want to spread awareness and understanding, which are important. I was speaking to the director of a nearly all-white choir that was learning a song in Arabic. They wanted to do a Syrian song in tribute to “people who’ve lost everything.” Their intentions were good but I could tell from our early conversations that they held a conception of Syrians very much as victims. While in actuality, Syrians in Chicago could be their consultants, experts, partners, collaborators and leaders.

Even though many of the recently-resettled Syrians I know in Chicago are dealing with traumas from war and bureaucratic hell, and working below minimum wage, they don’t want people’s charity. Most are Muslim and give zakāt (2.5% of their own income) to “those less fortunate” in America and family back in the Middle East or Europe. They want opportunity. They want to learn. They want to contribute and thrive. 

But they need support, and time. They need to translate their skills. They need a little space as well as some opportunities for happiness during the struggles. In our program, refugee students and their siblings/parents help with costumes, carpools, translation, organizing and much more. As one Syrian refugee mother told me, “We just need help catching up.” They shouldn’t have to do that in isolation or insularity.  In today’s America, we certainly need each other. That’s one reason I go to every birthday party I’m invited to in their homes. Good friends are good friends. Good neighbors are good neighbors.

At first, me (a white American lady) offering a Western dance class (tap, jazz, ballet, contemporary) to Syrian refugees seemed absurd and counter to everything I’ve written here. Shouldn’t it be a Syrian cultural dance being taught by a Syrian? Turns out, when I listened to the refugee families and observed their behaviors, I noticed that while they had a robust system of support and cultural celebration within the Syrian-American community, they had little to no positive interaction with groups different from them, even refugees of different nationalities. They never met their Orthodox Jewish neighbors, who all attend private schools and live a very insular life. I noticed neighbors avoiding eye contact. Distrust is big around here. The refugee families told me they wanted their children to have this dance class as an opportunity for joy, confidence, knowledge, skills, English practice and new friends. I soon realized they wanted those same things for themselves and are gaining much from the magic of what happens in the lobby. When I gave them a choice of dance forms for this semester, they chose ballet and jazz. It’s a start. 

The program is made possible by partner organizations/case managers and volunteers, including a dance therapist and two teen apprentice teachers (one is a refugee herself) who are getting school credit. Eventually, the goal would be for more dance forms to be valued and shared, and for at least 50% of the faculty/artists to be from the refugee community — if that’s something they decided they wanted.

Co-support is key. When I collaborated on the Flint, MI site for Global Water Dances 2017, it was an honor that the project was eventually led by local artists and educators. I am from Mid-Michigan and have connections there, but I am not a Flint resident. I did not experience the water crisis first hand. Yet, there was definitely a contribution for me to make: to make something great happen. I was a catalyst and a support for the project. They clearly said they no longer wanted to be anybody’s victims. They took the leadership while I made connections and filled gaps. After some reflection, I realized that the fact that I only did little on the day of the event is, for me, a huge mark of success as a social practice artist.

I usually don’t focus on my role so much, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the role of an artist as a citizen, just like the sanitation worker or the physician of a community. What can we do as artists? Here are ten ideas.

1. Push back against re-victimization wherever we see it, especially in the arts. 
2. Use “we” as often and as authentically as possible. Know the difference being an arts program as social intervention and an arts program as social interference.
3. If we are given an opportunity to lead, partner instead. Collaborate. Co-teach or train. Share the income or profits, when we can. Make sure the monetary and non-monetary benefits are reciprocal. 
4. Hire or bring in experts from marginalized communities, better yet, a marginalized member of our own community. Get to a point of where marginalization and discrimination are nonexistent and we don’t have to use those terms. 
5. Find out what’s happening in our neighborhood. Be a student. Take a lesson. Show up to other people’s classes and projects. I go to the local Chicago Steppin’ class at Marshall Field Garden Apartments on Tuesday evenings, but not as often as I should. This is a good reminder.
6. Instead of trying to get “buy in” for our ideas, ask how we can contribute to other people’s ideas.
7. Bring our unique gifts; don’t duplicate their offerings. Stay alert for artists acting as agents of gentrification.
8. Know when to step up — and more importantly, when to step back. 
9. Remain an active resident and friend. Accept invitations to birthday parties, town halls, candlelight vigils, political rallies and festivals.
10. Care about more than the arts.

I have much to learn. And I am not yet living up to the standards I set for myself as a social practice artist. But I’m trying. Writing this post is part of that effort. Those are my ramblings for this evening. Tomorrow I’m taking a day off.

My mother knew loss. At the beginning of her senior year of high school, her father died tragically in a motorcycle accident. Then when she was in her early 30’s, my mother lost her own mom to colon cancer. In all honesty, she had lost her mother in some capacity years prior, as my grandmother had struggled with depression since the death of her husband.

My mom Kaye (born Kay, but later added the ‘e’ herself) was the oldest kid of five. Through it all, she kept her hippie arms open for her brothers and sisters as well as for their kids and their kids. We became a much racially and religiously diverse family over time. She was there for us all.

She gave birth to me in 1978 and I had a birth defect, Craniosynostis. I was much to handle financially and emotionally. My mother tells the story of me going into skull surgery at 2-days-old without anesthesia, just a frozen pacifier, her holding much hope that I wouldn’t be brain damaged, or wouldn’t die. She was happy my surgeon had been on President Kennedy’s team in Texas. She was a great mom. And last week, she died.

As I grieve alongside my family, I know we are not alone. So many friends of mine have lost their mothers this year; I can count at least eight recently. With social media,  the phases of life intensify as we experience them more visibly alongside our peers. There was the dating and general worldly frustration phase. Then the career accomplishments phase. Then the “everybody is getting married” phase, followed by the “all my friends have kids” phase. Now, me and friends seem to be losing our mothers. In the vein of sharing, I want to share what it was like to lose mine. She loved when I blogged about our experiences, and she was sure that writing helped others out there. “Lose” seems both precise and inappropriate as a word. In any case, the world lost Kaye Ann Lent when she was 65 years old.

My mother was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation and breast cancer in 2012. She underwent a double mastectomy with lymph nodes removed, several rounds of chemotherapy, and radiation treatment. She had no evidence of disease for a year and a half. Then they found tumors on many of her bones (six at that point, I believe) including three on her back but she continued to rally every time. My dad and her remained jokesters. He nicknamed her “Boobs” and I have never known a stronger name.

One tumor in her leg broke her femur while she was standing at the ATM a couple years ago; she rallied back to walking just about two weeks after that surgery but was made to retire from work despite her not wanting to. The tumor behind her eye gave her double vision for awhile, but she rocked the eye patch. Her swelling and neuropathy remained very bad, but she rallied back into doing puzzles and crocheting. Her appetite was especially poor, but she forced herself to eat when she could. Her mobility was effected and the tumor in her hip was excruciatingly painful, but she wouldn’t let on. Her walker was her “little buddy” and she often lost track of where he was because she would walk so often unassisted.

In August 2017 the medical team stopped the chemotherapy treatments because it was effecting her heart. Since then, she had been doing a regular bone enhancement treatment. She was rushed to the hospital in early 2018 because she had a mild stroke and was been showing symptoms that seem like dementia. They did a CT scan and MRI, confirming the cancer was in her brain. She forgot our names, her passwords, and basic language. When my aunt suggested she name me because she had named me the first time, my aunt said, “What about Shawn?” Mom dismissed that as boring. We all laughed. And then she rallied. The palliative radiation brought relief and her memories and cognition back. Yet, we were told the cancer was moving into her organs. She went home and had a ride on the speedboat that she and my father had recently purchased.

In late July 2018, she was rushed to the hospital for the last time. Her blood pressure was 47/27. She said she was fine. Our family all came to sit with her, and she joked about hosting a party. Her humor and generous spirit were rock solid; she even had the chaplain who gave last rites laughing. When she seemed to be passing, we whispered in her ear that she could go now. We played “American Trilogy (Glory, Glory Hallelujah)” by Elvis, as she had requested. Unable to open her eyes, she gave us a sassy wave goodbye that brought the whole room into laughter. She never liked being told what to do.

We held her hand and cried into Nurse Dorothy’s arms in the hallway, on rotation all night long. Nurse Dorothy had lost her own mother just a couple months before. In the morning, mom rallied again. She sat up and continued her jokes about the cute Nurse Joe’s butt. Every time the medical staff asked about her pain, mom said 7. But when they asked about the level of the disgust in the food, she said 9. Then mom declined again. Once again, we held her hand on rotation all night long. We told her she could go and played her song, but she kept saying what sounded like “nah.”

She hid her pain gracefully. I thought she might be wanting to rally again and was looking for signs that this was the case. Yet the next day, she was only breathing and being, on her own time. Her eyes were crusting shut. We were disturbed by a faint gurgle that we were told was normal. I went to the parking lot to decide about at-home Hospice. They told me there was a chance the ambulance ride would be painful or that she might die en route. My dad suddenly decided he needed a haircut, and his (mom’s) car broke down on the way back.

When we all finally returned to the hospital around 5pm, mom and God had decided she was passing. The seemingly young Nurse Kayla sat with us this entire time and described what was happening, which turned out to be a much needed play-by-play full of grace.

Mom unexpectedly opened her eyes at that point, saw us, let out a single tear, then closed her eyes and died peacefully as dad and I held her hand. The room cried. I felt something that I thought was only true in movies. I felt her spirit leave her body, immediately sensing her strength, like I had a parachute lifting me up. Within seconds, I no longer felt her in the room or in her body. She was within us and everywhere at once. That’s the moment I lost my mother and gained something beyond words.

Her jokes continue past her death. When Dad (a die-hard University of Michigan fan) and I entered the funeral home with trepidation, she made sure the first thing we saw was a giant Michigan State coffin. We were laughing already. And when she knew Dad would need to keep busy in order to process losing the love of his life, she sent him a project in the form of that speedboat flooded under two feet of water.

They say she is in a better place, that she is no longer in pain. Those sentiments are hard for me to hear. She was 5’0″ with 11 tumors but even more will and humor. She loved her family and this world. Yet I know her pain-free disposition was mostly for our benefit. Now she is with her God, her parents, the babies we’ve lost in this family, and all of your parents who have passed.

Bereavement has begun for us. From release and relief, to a debilitating weight of sadness, it has already been an uncontrollable process. To all of you who have lost a parent, I am feeling you and sending much love. 

Speaking of love… Love you, Mom!

Opportunities and resources: we all need them.

Perhaps you are a high school student looking to go the direction of socially engaged art. Perhaps you are an artist early in your professional career. Or maybe you have been doing this work for decades and could teach us all a thing or two.

No matter your background, you may find this following list of interest. You will note that I work in social practice and community-engaged dance, with a focus in intercultural, inter-group and international projects. This resources list is skewed in those directions. My practice is an acknowledged departure from teaching artistry in both the fields of arts integration and community-based arts. I also do not consider my practice dance therapy and do not offer resources in those areas, but what I do offer here will hopefully be helpful to some of you out there.

It is a hearty but not completely comprehensive list so please feel free to add additional links and resources in the reply section below.  I will offer resources in the following categories:

• Undergraduate Programs
• Graduate Degree, Professional and Certificate Programs
• Fellowships, Jobs/Internships, Volunteer Opportunities and Residencies
• Groups, Initiatives and Organizations
• Readings, Videos, Webinars and MOOCs

Undergraduate Programs

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Socially Engaged Art at Goddard (low residency)

Performing Arts & Social Justice with a Dance Concentration at University of San Fransisco

Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation (CAST) interdisciplinary minor at Brandeis University

Community Arts BFA Major at California College of the Arts

Minor in Social Practice and Public Forms at California College of the Arts

Contextual Practice BFA Major at Carnegie Mellon University

Graduate Degree, Professional and Certificate Programs

Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Community Arts at Lesley University

Master of Arts (M.A.) in Teaching Artistry at Wayne State University (3 years, part-time, low-residency)

Educational Doctorate (EDd) in Equity Studies in Education at Simon Fraser University (Canada)

Master of Arts (M.A.) in Art, Education, and Community Practice at NYU Steinhart

Master of Fine Arts (M.FM.A., M.F.A., and Ph.D. in Performance as Public Practice or M.F.A. in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities at The University of Texas at Austin

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Contemporary Art Practices (Art + Social Practice) at Portland State University

Master of Arts (M.A.) in Socially Engaged Art at NCAD in Dublin, Ireland

Socially Engaged Practice in Design and the Arts (Certificate) at Arizona State University

Master of Arts (M.A.) in Socially Engaged Art at University of Indianapolis

Performance Art and Social Practice continuing education course at Seattle Central College

Conferences, Institutes and Labs

Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for Arts in Society

Social Emotional Arts (SEA) Certificate at UCLA

The Dance + Social Justice Conference

Dance Exchange Summer Institute

The Institute for Somatics and Social Justice

Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI)

Luna Dance Summer Institute

Social Practice Lab at Duke University’s Rubenstein Arts Center

Urban Bush Women’s Summer Leadership Institute

Fellowships, Jobs/Internships, Apprenticeship and Volunteer Opportunities and Residencies

Exchange Programs: The State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs offers a number of fully-funded international programs. Many of these opportunities are posted with little notice so check regularly.

(SPAN) Social Practice Artist Network

Common Field

Daniels Spectrum Artist-in-Residency for community-engaged professional artists

A Blade of Grass Fellowship for Socially Engaged Art

Imagining America Page Fellowship for graduate students

Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP) volunteer opportunities

On-the-Move cultural mobility network’s list of residencies and other opportunities, many of which are in Europe

Idealist volunteer opportunities and job postings

BCorps Jobs Board openings at certified B Corps, companies that meet rigorous social and environmental standards 

Creative Time jobs, internships, fellowships, and volunteer opportunities

Peace and Collaborative Development Network’s PCDNETWORK professional opportunities (jobs, fellowships, internships, etc. in social change, which also provides the following links for job seekers.

• UNJOBLIST jobs at UN agencies and other Intergovernmental Organizations
• RELIEFWEB jobs in International non-profits 
• Rework jobs in impact with companies working on social and cultural innovation
• International Organization Careers Website employment opportunities in International Organizations (site sponsored by the US Department of State)
• SKOLL WORLD FORUM JOB LIST– Job and Fellowship postings related to social entreprenuership, the social sector and corporate social responsibility.
• The Posner Center for International Development Job Board – Is a coworking space based in Denver, Colorado with over 60 member organizations. Their job board lists openings at Posner and the center’s members.
• Mission Investing Job Bank – shares career opportunities in mission investing at member foundations, affiliate member organizations and other organizations
• Social Enterprise Alliance Job Board – Positions in the social enterprise sector.
• Social Impact Jobs – List from Echoing Green, one of the leading orgs in the field.
• OpenGov Hub Member Jobs – Job opportunities from organizations based at the OpenGov Hub in Washington, DC.
• Be Social Change Jobs – Maintains a job board of positions and internships in key social change orgs.
  
• Open Gov Jobs – Positions related to open government.
• Impact Design Hub Jobs – Jobs at the intersection of public interest, social impact, humanitarian, and community design.
• Jobscsr.com – positions worldwide in the following sectors Social, Environment, Economic, Health & Safety, Climate Change, Human Rights, Finance.
• Give to get Jobs – Opportunities in the for profit sector that are involved in social change.
• ICT4D Jobs – Opportunities in information and communication technology for development.
• Young Professionals in Foreign Policy Job Board – Careers in international Affairs, largely NY and DC based positions.
  
• Zebra Jobs – A leading online portal for jobs in Africa, many focused on development related issues.
  
• JOBS FOR CHANGE – Useful resources and guides to careers in social change.
• FOREIGN POLICY ASSOCIATION – Listing of Jobs at Key US nonprofits involved in international affairs.
• JUSTMEANS – Jobs in Social Change and Environment.
• FOREIGN AFFAIRS – Listing of jobs in International Affairs.
  
• DEVNETJOBS – Listing of Many Positions in International Development and related fields.
• Next City Jobs– Jobs focused on urban issues and innovation.
• Jobs for Change – Wonderful resources on nonprofit jobs.
• OneWorld Jobs – brings the latest jobs and volunteer positions from organisations working to create a better world.

Artslink international grants and fellowships

Mladi Info with lists of scholarships, fellowships, conferences etc. mostly in Europe.

Alliance of Artists Communities case study residencies in social practice.

Surdna Foundation grants for artists engaging in social change 

U.S. Fulbright Scholar Program (for artists, faculty, researchers or staff) Deadline is August 1, 2018 – This is the program I did. Let me know if you have questions or want my help reviewing your application!

U.S. Fulbright Student Program (for current masters and PhD students, recent grads, and young professionals in the arts and other fields) Deadline is October 9, 2018.

Baba Chuck Davis Emerging Choreographer Fellowship travel to Africa

Charles B. Rangel Fellowship offers both a graduate fellowship and summer enrichment program

American Music Abroad international tour opportunities for students, adults and ensembles

Thomas R. Pickering Fellowship graduate study in any academic field relevant to the work of the Foreign Service 

Institute for Current World Affairs international fellowship for applicants under 36 years of age

Donald Payne Fellowship for graduate students

Diplomacy & Diversity Fellowship for graduate students and young professionals

UNAOC International Fellowship Open to participants between 25 to 35 years old, from the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and North America, with a strong interest in intercultural exchanges. The theme of the Fellowship 2018 being “Fostering youth resilience to prevent violent extremism and build sustainable peace.”Apply by April 8, 2018 for this year’s program.

“It totally breaks open your thinking!” As a 2010 UNAOC Fellow, @shawnlent from #USA visited countries like #Egypt, #Morocco & #Qatar. Watch to learn about her Fellowship experience.

Interested in becoming one of this year's #UNAOCfellows? Apply now: https://t.co/KNAnMZm33M pic.twitter.com/R7xR3Mn0z5

— UNAOC (@UNAOC) March 22, 2018

Groups, Initiatives and Organizations

MindLeaps

The International Centre of Art for Social Change

ASC! (Art for Social Change) 

Battery Dance – Dancing to Connect

DanceMotion USA

Dancing on the Edge

Move This World

Do-It-Yourself

Design your own volunteer or apprenticeship opportunities at your local children’s hospital, veterans’ affairs group, refugee center, homeless shelter, juvenile detention facility, or public or private religious school (insular or divided communities).

Readings, Webinars and MOOCs

Performing Revolutionary: Art, Action, Activism by Nicole Garneau and Anne Cushwa

The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Politics

Americans for the Arts Social Change

“How art creates social change in 5 TED Talks” by Leigh Shulman

“Bringing the Arts to the Conversation on Social Change” by Claudia Juech and Carolina García Jayaram

Robert Battle: On dance and social justice

Animating Democracy’s “Dance and Civic Engagement”

“The Scales of Socially Engaged Practice” by Hannah Hull

“What is Social Practice, Socially Engaged Art, and Civic Practice?” by Terrence Mosley

UNESCO’s Centre for Arts Research in Education, forum on dance and social justice with Bharata Natyam artist Kavitha Krishnan

“20 Change-Making US Artists You Should Track During 2018” by Shawn Lent

“30 International Artists You Should Track During 2018” by Shawn Lent

“Who Are the Key Figures in Socially Engaged Art Today?” by Patina Lee

Social Justice Funders webinar by Americans for the Arts

Bibliography listings and Glossary for the Duke MOOC on Public Art

Americans for the Arts’ On-Demand Webinars including Arts Deployed and Current Trends in Public Art & Social Practice

Creative Capital: Values-Based Goal Setting

4 Questions for Artists Working in Social Justice

On Social Practice and Performance by Andy Horwitz

Free Body Project

Who Gets to Perform? The Ethics and Aesthetics of Social Practice by Simon Dove

Arts-based Conflict Resolution, an interview with Michelle le Baron

Acting Together documentary and toolkit (peacebuilding and theatre)

Dancing to Connect’s Cultural Diplomacy Toolkit

Imagining America publications, case studies, research, blog and Public journal

Dancer Citizen online scholarly journal

ASC! (Art for Social Change) resource articles and publications.

50 Titles, 50 Perspectives: A Reader’s Guide to Art + Social Practice by Broken City Lab

Dance, Human Rights, and Social Justice: Dignity in Motion by Naomi Jackson

Movement as Cultural Diplomacy at Battery Dance

Arts in the Public Interest Archives

Outside the Citadel, Social Practice Art Is Intended to Nurture by Randy Kennedy

How the Art of Social Practice is Changing the World, One Row House at a Time by Carolina A. Miranda

Alliance of Artists Communities resource list

Free PDF Books on Race, Gender, Sexuality, Class and Culture

Education is Performance Art

Am I a Dancer Who Gave Up? by Shawn Lent (Huffington Post)

Photo: “The promise of Spring” Johannesburg, South Africa, by Unsplash contributor, Zelda Gardner @enskye

From December 1-7, 2017, I was honored to join 15 other international delegates in New York City for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) summit on “The Role of Media and Civil Society in Fostering Peace.” This summit concluded with presentations hosted by the German Mission to the United Nations, with my subgroup focused on the role of storytelling and the arts.

With Aziza Benlamoudi of Algeria, Fatima Al Banawi of Saudi Arabia, and Tomas Horvath of Slovakia (left to right)

Back in 2010 I was honored to have been part of the pilot cohort for the UNAOC Fellowship Program, traveling to Alexandria, Cairo, Casablanca, Doha, Fez and Rabat. The fellowship aims at fostering intercultural exchange and interfaith understanding by engaging with young leaders and professionals from Europe, North-America (EUNA), the Middle East and North-Africa (MENA).

Framed around multi-week exchange trips between EUNA and MENA countries, the program sends participants from each geographic area to their counterparts’ region. Like my peers, that trip was my first time to the MENA region. During the seven years following the fellowship, I returned several times to Cairo and eventually lived there as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, EducationUSA Coordinator, and dance educator. The UNAOC program was impactful, indeed.

Fellows from a range of UNAOC Fellowship years 2010-2017 gathered for last week’s summit in NYC, and thus, represented different age groups as well as sectors and countries. Participants included:

• Athar Ahmad, Journalist for the BBC, United Kingdom
• Aziza Benlamoudi, Co-Founder of Algeria Youth Voices, Algeria
• Elena D’Angelo, Fellow Project Officer at the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, Italy
• Emadeddin Badi, Project Manager at Peaceful Change Initiative, Libya
• Emna Ben Yedder, Co-Founder of “ACT – Think and Decide”, Tunisia
• Fatima Al Banawi, Social Consultant and Artist, Saudi Arabia
• Hayder Al Shakeri, Youth Advocate, Iraq
• Jasmin Hasic, Assistant Professor at the International University of Burch, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Khalil El Masry, Consultant for the Advancing Inter-religious Peace-building Project, Egypt
• Klara Hoskova, Media Programme Coordinator, Germany
• Manal Elattir, Founder of ASILASHOP, Morocco
• Roda Siad, Documentary Filmmaker, Canada
• Taras Dzyubanskyy, Adviser to the Mayor of Lviv for Religious and Ecumenical Issues, Ukraine
• Tomas Horvath, Project Manager at the Slovak NGDO Platform, Slovakia
• Yousef Alhelou, Journalist for Al-Araby TV, State of Palestine

As the only U.S. delegate, I was proud to represent American values as I understand them. I organized an outing to see “The Band’s Visit” on Broadway and shared the progress of the Dance Peace project in Chicago. For the delegate from Libya, this summit represented what was perhaps his last visit to the United States, as the Supreme Court’s decision on the travel ban went into effect mid-week. For the delegate from Gaza, a good friend I had met during a previous alumni summit in Baku 2013, the President’s announcement on Jerusalem made for an especially painful and busy time. 

Pre-show for “The Band’s Visit” at Barrymore Theater, NYC

In preparation for this summit, we were to read three UN documents. Surprisingly, these were motivating reads. They detail actions that can be undertaken no matter our sectors or geographies. Below are curated excerpts with the goal of providing my colleagues in the arts the language and resources to approach or expand their work in peace-building abroad and locally. The recommended strategies and circumstances apply as much to combatting domestic terrorism, gun and gang violence, or hate crimes, as they do to combatting international terrorism. 

UN Security Council Resolution 2250 (2015)

“Expressing concern that among civilians, youth account for many of those adversely affected by armed conflict, including as refugees and internally displaced persons, and that the disruption of youth’s access to education and economic opportunities has a dramatic impact on durable peace and reconciliation.

Youth are the future role models.

Facilitate an inclusive and enabling environment in which youth actors, including youth from different backgrounds, are recognized and provided with adequate support to implement violence prevention activities and support social cohesion.

…promote a culture of peace, tolerance, intercultural and interreligious dialogue that involve youth and discourage their participation in acts of violence, terrorism, xenophobia, and all forms of discrimination.”

At the United Nations Headquarters, NYC

UN Secretary-General Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism (2016)

“Nothing can justify violent extremism but we must also acknowledge that it does not arise in a vacuum. Narratives of grievance, actual or perceived injustice, promised empowerment and sweeping change become attractive where human rights are being violated, good governance is being ignored and aspirations are being crushed.

Two main categories of drivers of violence can be distinguished: “push factors”, or the conditions conducive to violent extremism and the structural context from which it emerges; and “pull factors”, or the individual motivations and processes, which play a key role in transforming ideas and grievances into violent extremist action.

[Youth with almost] no religious knowledge or education, makes them vulnerable to indoctrination.

Provide medical, psychosocial and legal service support in communities that give shelter to victims of violent extremists, including victims of sexual and gender-based crimes.

We must pay particular attention to youth. The world ’s 1.8 billion young women and men constitute an invaluable partner in our striving to prevent violent extremism.

Harness the idealism, creativity and energy of young people and others who feel disenfranchised.

The rapid advance of modern communications technology also means that today ’s youth form a global community of an unprecedented kind. This interconnectivity is already being exploited by violent extremists; we need to reclaim this space by helping to amplify the voices of young people already promoting the values of mutual respect and peace to their peers. 

We have to identify better tools with which to support young people as they take up the causes of peace, pluralism and mutual respect. 

Support and enhance young women’s and young men’s participation… by prioritizing meaningful engagement mechanisms, as laid out in the Amman Declaration on Youth, Peace and Security.

Involve hard-to-reach young women and men, such as those from underrepresented groups, in efforts to prevent violent extremism, as laid out in the Guiding Principles on Young People’s Participation in Peacebuilding.

Establish national mentoring programs for young women and men, create space for personal growth in their chosen fields [including the arts], and offer opportunities for community service which can enable them to become leaders and actors for constructive change.

Implement Security Council resolution 1624, promoting a comprehensive approach to incitement and violent extremism, and the Rabat Plan of Action on the prohibition of advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.”

During the UNAOC summit this week, each group was to conclude their presentations with a list of their own recommendations, inspired by the UN materials. Before sharing excerpts from the third and last document, here are the recommendations from our summit subgroup looking specifically at storytelling and the arts, with credit to Aziza Benlamoudi, Fatima Al Banawi, Tomas Horvath and Shawn Lent.

1. Ensure that funds are prioritized to strengthen projects by artists aimed at social integration, Track 3 people-to-people diplomacy, and psychophysical well-being, especially involving residents from insular communities.
2. Leverage and promote existing arts institutions and programs that engage in peace-building, rather than creating new multinational initiatives.
3. Build the capacity of educators and curricular designers to promote global citizenship, civic engagement, critical thinking, multiple literacies and expression.
4. Collaborate in broad support of the arts sector, in both rural and urban locations, investing in the development of the creative skills needed to meet labor demands and to sustain arts entrepreneurship activities.

Now back onto the final document…

UNAOC High Level Report (2006)

“Public and private donors should support education efforts aimed at the general public in the West and in predominantly Muslim countries by funding arts performances, film festivals, educational tours, and scholarly/educational conferences that disseminate information on the richness of diverse cultures and on the importance of cultural interactions.

Engage the talents of youth and adults in constructive social action through service learning programs and initiate service learning components connected to degree and certificate programs.

Educational reform efforts have emphasized technical and skills-based education in an effort to stem high unemployment rates. While this is a positive development, in some cases the focus on strictly job-related education has diminished the attention paid to the humanities and social sciences and limited the availability of instruction in these fields. A well-rounded holistic education is invaluable for the development of critical thinking, interpretive, and adaptive skills which are increasingly important in a world of increasing complexity and diversity. 

Muslim and Western public and private donors should work together to establish a Cultural Fund and Networking Service to connect young Muslim artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, etc. with their Western counterparts and leaders In the culture industry. The objective would be to facilitate the dissemination of contemporary Muslim culture to other societies and, in doing so, to promote the cause of dialogue and understanding.

A coalition of key stakeholders should be established to develop a consensus youth employment strategy [including in the arts].

Public and private donor agencies should support girls’ and young women’s associations, networks, and organizations which advance girls’ education, develop platforms for women’s participation in all aspects of society, or implement other projects which enhance women’s status.

Expand support for programs that help situate young immigrants in the broader communities outside of the schools and provide direct experience in social interaction and civic activism with other youth which can reduce feelings of alienation.”

These last recommendations, in particular, underscore the importance of supporting projects like Dance Peace, where we are in need of dance and music scholarship sponsors for spring 2018 and beyond. We know that artists can play a dynamic role in creating and sustaining peace through arts participation, monitoring tensions and progress through movement analysis, and educating a peaceful generation through kinetic empathy and collaboration. We know the arts can have a great impact in this increasingly cross-cultural and transdisciplinary world, and that being so, has a great responsibility.