Global Chains

By Naima Thompson

As I sit in my hotel room at Ali Bey Konagi Gaziantep, Turkey for the last day of a two week visit, I can't help but reflect on the journey of our outreach program Reach the Unreachable.

Three years ago I travelled to Kenya to start an outreach program for Necessary Arts. It was my first trip to Kenya, indeed my first trip to the "motherland" and I was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. I was traveling alone and without a clear cut plan ahead of me. The mantra that propelled me into this state of uncertainty was one that I always turn to when my gut pushes me to take a risk: leap and the net will appear. When Maggie from Maggie Holidays greeted me I immediately felt at ease.

Once we chatted in person she understood that I would not be one of her regular clients. There would be no need to book a safari or visit any museums or go to any other tourist attractions. Instead, she quickly learned that my only interest in Kenya was to reach vulnerable children who could benefit from the program I had to offer through drama and other artistic activities. She immediately made some phone calls and soon enough I was introduced to and immersed in five very different groups of children over the span of ten days, from Nairobi to Port Victoria. I rolled out a flexible enough drama program to meet the specific needs of each group. Toward the end of the trip, Maggie coined the phrase "Reach the Unreachable" which I happily agreed to call the outreach program and a synergy was born, resulting in continued visits over the next three years. This year Reach the Unreachable extended its outreach to Trinidad and Tobago and Uganda where local volunteers carried out the program for street kids and other vulnerable children and youth. Thank you to those teams for contributing to the change we wish to see in this world.

Today I say goodbye to Gaziantep. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to work with a team of volunteers who unselfishly gave of themselves to make a difference in the lives of over 75 Syrian refugee children, or more accurately defined as having the status of "temporary protection".

For those of you reading this post you probably followed us throughout our journey and have an idea of some of our experiences at the New World Academy. We led the children through programs in Drama, Art and English Literacy under the theme of Help a Friend.  Some of the activities included creating friendship bracelets and friendship trees; designing diamond poems comprising of newly learned english vocabulary and engaging in numerous theatre games including improvisations to demonstrate an understanding of humanity.

Yesterday, a research student from Yale University asked me how I choose the children we work with. The truth is, it is the universe which hears my plea to work with vulnerable children and sends its angels to make connections for the work to take place. In the case of Reach the Unreachable in Turkey, I must say thank you to Hala Trabolsi for introducing NAS to her Syrian comrade living in Turkey. It takes a global chain of like-minded links, with a common goal of working for humanity to make this world a better place. NAS is humbled to be a link in this armor.

To Bhuket Gurol who traveled from Istanbul, I say thank you for your tireless translations, relentless bargaining with locals for discounts and freebies, and brave heart for undertaking the role of "art teacher" when you are neither an artist nor a teacher. I trust that this journey inspires you to more artistic ventures. To Ozge Dinc, a special-needs art teacher from Istanbul who accepted the challenge to join us for one week, I say thank you for all the preparations you made with Buket to support our art program.  To Natasha Vrutska, a language learning specialist from Dubai who added Turkey to her list of travels for her summer vacation, I say thank you for your cool temperament among our team and fun filled learning strategies for the children. To Theresa Toerien, the admin director for the NAS Dubai branch, I say thank you for keeping track of all the on-site logistics as well as capturing the success of the program through your photographic eye. I also say thank you for your sensitivity and ability to sooth the emotional needs of some of the children during the more chaotic moments. Thank you to the local translators who showed up every day to help bridge the language gap between us and the children and staff. I also say thank you to those who contributed to the success of the program but could not make the trip: Melinda Eversteyn and Maria Martinez for your artistic ideas and supplies, Zak Matouche and Ruba Einein for translating our English documents to Arabic and Suzzanne Pautler for working with Natasha in preparing the language learning component.

For our final hours at the New World Academy we engaged in creativity, chaos and cake! We say thank you to the admin team of NWA for a great send off and wish you all the best in your continued efforts to shape the lives of and to bring stability to the children in your care. Keep well until we meet again.