Working with Immigrant Youth Reminds Us What Makes America Great!
July-August 2019
At Al-Bustan we are committed to supporting immigrant and refugee communities, as well as those who stand up for immigrants and refugees. Daily work with youth this summer has reminded us of the importance of being open and welcoming. Everything we do, from educational programming to art installations and beyond, seeks to amplify the diverse voices of Philadelphia's communities and celebrate our differences.
We want to cultivate an America that is welcoming to all. We oppose statements, policies, and actions that exclude anyone based upon their ethnicity, race, faith, gender, sexuality, or nation of origin.
Coexistence — ta'ayush in Arabic, convivencia in Spanish — was the theme of Al-Bustan Camp this summer, where 50 kindergarten through 8th graders participated in an immersive Arabic language and cultural experience. A third of our campers this year were immigrants and recent refugees. Another third were children of immigrants. Engaging these youth reminded us all the more the value in seeing every newly-arrived immigrant as a fellow human being to befriend, to trust, and to help.
Take for example, Mona and Bassam, two Syrians who were recently resettled with their family in Philadelphia through the Nationalities Service Center, They joined camp a couple days into the program, having been recommended by their neighbor Ludmilla, one of our teen camp counselors.
Ludmilla herself is Syrian: Her family arrived in Philadelphia just two and a half years ago as refugees. They were quick to think of ways to help their newly-arrived neighbors settle in comfortably, and offered to take Mona and Bassam with them to camp in their car and on the bus.
As Ludmilla arrived each morning with a smile, she brought with her three campers: her sister Avreen, Mona and Bassam. Over the next eight days, the ways in which the other campers embraced Mona and Bassam as part of the “Al-Bustan Camp Family” were heartwarming—from taking turns translating to making an extra effort to include them in every activity. There was always someone looking out for them.
That's convivencia. That's ta'ayush.
At Lea School, where we ran 4-weeks of arts instruction for the School District of Philadelphia’s English Language Learners Arts Enrichment Program, the 80 enrolled students were middle schoolers who have been in America for 3 years or less. They hail from the Dominican Republic and Haiti, to the Ivory Coast, Bangladesh, China, and many other countries in between.
As our teaching artists and staff led the students in art, drama, drumming, and singing classes, we saw how each of their personalities shined through and new friendships were made. Besides the representative imagery of their countries' flags, the artwork created by the students is a vibrant expression of their individuality.
Throughout the program, we saw how students gained greater confidence to speak through their art and language. This is central to our mission, and we believe encouraging and amplifying these voices for others makes America beautiful. Each person’s contribution to the mosaic of what "makes America great” is invaluable. This next generation, our future, understands the arts as a universal experiential language that does not divide, but rather unites us.
In order to live in a world where we trust our neighbors and value what each and every person has to offer, we must nurture younger generations to be thoughtful and caring, and to appreciate that we all will fare better when we support our neighbors, welcome newcomers and work to lift each other up.
As we shared these sentiments at our end-of-camp celebration, we distributed a statement on a clipboard and asked the adults in the auditorium to share their comments and signatures. The words of one parent were particularly striking.
To navigate the American dream, we are meant to suffer. This is why we should always fight to be a nation embracing immigrants.
Statement - July 2019
Statement - July 2019
Signed by the following Al-Bustan staff, teaching artists, and Board of Directors: Hazami Sayed, David Heayn, Sahiti Bonam, Sari Aljishi, Hafez Kotain, Lisa Volta-Zalloum, Farnaz Perry, Denise Valentine, James Victor, Yannick Trapman O’Brien, Javvieaus Stewart, Omar Harb, Huda Fakhreddine, Lisa Denbery, Genienne Navaro, Regina Morgan, Veronica Aplenc, Tony Abraham, Sara Hasan