From the outside...

Two years ago  I entered this home and stood before a group of people from a different place but very familiar space, and thus a journey began. Necessary Arts and JEHO have built a relationship of trust and dreams realized!

This turning of chapters causes us to safely deliver the JEHO family into the hands of a most competent and purposeful team. The Art of Confidence are sharing in our efforts to stimulate minds through artistic expression.

We share in the process of understanding the arts in literacy development through performance oriented activities.

Reach the Unreachable's first steps along its journey started with JEHO and must now trod on to reach even more talented youth beyond...




A Peak into the process...

Confident Young Men at Sud Academy

By: LeJon April Payne

Today was an amazing day at Sud Academy! When we arrived the students were eager to see us. They were dressed in their very best clothes. You could see their eyes peeking behind doors and windows to get a glimpse of what was to come. We were greeted by the school principal Mr. George. He welcomed us with his bright smile and a warm hug. He apologized for the rain and carefully guided us into the principal's office. He shared in our excitement and enthusiasm about the day. We patiently waited for all of the children to arrive and then it was time for the action to begin.

We gathered in a circle and began our opening warm up for the day. The students introduced themselves and chose the animal of their choice to act out. The room was full of boys and one girl. The boys were entertained by themselves as well as with their acting activities. The boys were joyful and  continued to laugh as they came out of their comfort zone and were soon ready to learn more acting techniques. Soon, we all broke up into small groups and began learning various acting strategies and written reflections by famous authors.

I had the pleasure of working with a small group of middle school boys. They were very timid at first. They sat at the wooden benches and read their poetry. They worked in pairs and as individuals to memorize their lines. They were soon ready to perform their poem for me. I was shocked they had memorized their poem so quickly! I followed them as they confidently walked outside in the mud and rainy ground. The weather could not keep them from demonstrating their accomplishments. They organized themselves and with a loud voice recited an excerpt of “Our Deepest Fear” by: Marianne Williamson. As their principal sat near by in a meeting he was in awe. He excused himself and walked over to the boys. The smile on his face spoke volumes. I was very honored to have worked with these amazing children today! I was even more excited that everyone stopped what they were doing to listen to them. Today I feel Necessary Arts was able to make this community feel proud. Please enjoy an excerpt of “Our Deepest Fear” by: Marianne Williamson performed by the boys at Sud Academy!

Sud Academy is a Community

By: Shanequa Dasher

My experience at Sud Academy today was uniquely different to the experience that I had at JEHO, however it was equally rewarding. We arrived at the Academy and were greeted by yet another friendly man. His name was George, and he was the principal of the academy. He was all smiles as he welcomed us into his place, his pride, his school. We immediately went into Principal George’s office to formally have a conversation about how things were going at the academy. We learned about a special graduation ceremony that would be happening the following day, and how excited all of the teachers and students were to learn who would be granted the permission of participating. We shared a few supplies for the children, for which Principal George was extremely grateful. The formalities came to a close. It was now time to formally meet our children for the day.

Slowly a small group of apprehensive faces began to trickle their way into the outside courtyard draped with stone and mud from the morning rain. They lined up unsure of what the day had in store. They were very shy, except for one gentleman whom through conversation, offered to share a song in his native tongue while we waited for the other students to join us. He had the voice of an angel. Joy permeated through the space, as he shared his song. Even a few of the faces that were once made of stone, perked up in silent delight.

We were soon joined by the remaining students and we broke into a large group in one of the nearby classrooms. We introduced and reintroduced ourselves, and warmed up with my get silly, getting to know you name activity. At that very moment, smiles emerged and laughter crackled through the room. This was a symbol to me, that today would indeed be a productive day.

We had a smaller group at Sud Academy than that of the JEHO Orphanage. In comparison to the 35 students at JEHO, we instead had about 15. With this particular group, we decided to rotate amongst myself, LA, and Suzzi in small groups of 5 according to age and gender. This allowed an opportunity for every student to shine without the apprehension of being before their older, younger, male, or female counterparts. This was the best decision we could have ever made. Each of the individuals came alive in their smaller groups. Even more laughter, talking, and participation was evident. Throughout my theater groups for the day, my individual small groups shared their learning preferences with me. I was able to use immense flexibility to adapt to what their preferences were in order to make the lessons enjoyable and fun.

A Message from Sud Academy

The strongest thing that resonated with me during my time at Sud Academy was the sense of community that each group of students exhibited. There were several students who didn’t understand my instructions or what I was saying for that matter. Each of the others rallied around that student and assisted them in the entire process of what we were doing. This sense of community and genuine care for one another made my heart smile. Not only because of the help that these students provided to their peers but also the fact that after the help was provided, the student was truly engaged and enjoying the process. The culture of community was alive and well at Sud Academy, and I was so pleased to be a part of their community. I look forward to working with them again if only to share in that very culture and climate of love.

"We Cannot Tire or Give Up"

By Suzzanne Pautler

Kenyan Wangari Maathai (1940-2011), the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, is known worldwide for her Green Belt Movement. Over the course of a thirty year period, her campaign encouraged women in East Africa to plant more than 40 million trees to combat deforestation. In addition, she authored “I Will Be a Hummingbird,” a humanitarian-themed story which challenges the reader to see life from the hummingbird’s perspective. “The least amongst us can be the greatest.  Small development interventions can make meaningful impacts.”  

Necessary Arts visited Sud Academy this afternoon for a three hour workshop focused on developing stage presence, stage directions, and memorization techniques.  Small groups of students rotated through each skills-based workshop. I challenged each group to a memorization activity based upon various famous quotes.  A group of six young teenagers focused on Wangari Maathai’s quote, “We cannot tire or give up. We owe it to the present and future generations of all species to rise up and walk.”  The young men were confident that if they heard the quote twice, they would be able to recite it back to me, but not one student succeeded.

We discussed how sometimes it is easier to see information than to hear it.  Each student copied the quote onto a piece of paper, had a few minutes to read and memorize, and then were challenged to perform the quote orally.  Two first boys accomplished this task with ease. The next two boys proudly stood in front of the camera with huge smiles on their faces, but no words escaped their lips.  They were asked to spend more time memorizing, and then come back outside to record. The final two boys could almost accomplish the task without error, but were also asked to return in a few minutes to record again.  One of the goals of Necessary Arts focuses on English literacy development, which is why we challenge the students to accomplish reading, writing, speaking and listening tasks. We know this is not always easy, but this is in and of itself part of the challenge.

Memorization in English

A few minutes later I turned around, and my silent, grinning boys had returned.  During the five minutes they were in the classroom, they came up with Plan B.  They would not allow themselves to fail this memorization task, even though they did not have the English skill set to succeed. Using their ingenuity and creativity, they returned to the camera, opened their mouths, and recited the quote with perfection...all in Kiswahili.  “We cannot tire or give up” came alive right before my eyes!

Commitment to the Task at JEHO

By Suzzanne Pautler

The weather never seems to be on our side when we have a trip planned to Jeho.  The rain turns the “road” into a series of muddy ruts, allowing some cars to travel while others get stuck.  Today was no exception. The only variable was that since the “road” is being repaired right now, we had to travel the long way around to reach our destination.  But as always, the sun shines within the orphanage!  Ten of the eldest students are at school right now to prepare for their end of term exams.  While we are proud of them and their academic commitment, we certainly missed their presence.  Nevertheless, we worked with more than 30 eager participants in today’s session.  

We invited the children to participate in a series of activities throughout the duration of our five hour visit. Each participant involves himself fully in the tasks we present, no matter if individual, small, or large group interactions. What I love about being in the company of these children is that no distinction exists amongst themselves. By that I mean that age, sex, ability, or even language skills matter not. Everyone works together and encourages one another.

At one point during the morning, we separated into three smaller groups to assign age-appropriate learning challenges. As I sat down with the oldest students to talk about their choices of drama scripts for this week’s performance, I had to laugh because I could not  distribute the scripts easily as I cradled five month old Destiny in one arm.  A few minutes later, one of my small groups needed six characters to perform their script, but realized they only had five members. Without hesitation, they asked Mama Miriam to act as their narrator.  She calmly stood downstage left to read her lines, while simultaneously feeding two year old Grace in her arms.  Meanwhile the five and six year olds would casually meander away from their group to come over and show the big kids in my group the colorful puppets on their hands.  I love the ease with which all of the brothers and sisters in the orphanage interact with one another.  Nobody shows impatience or frustration with one another. Their smiles and the commitment to the task continue, no matter how many interruptions or additional challenges.

Today was the first of the three days of workshop. When asked what the students would like to do during tomorrow’s visit, the obvious answers prevailed, “I would like to communicate with others,” “I’d like to know more about acting,” “I’d like to be able to do a full play, keeping track of all the areas on the stage,” “I’d like to try my best and memorize the scene,” and, of course, one less than obvious response of “I would like to have an eating competition.”

Triumphant!

"These children are not orphans"

By: Le’Jon April Payne

I can not begin to imagine what life would have been like, growing up in a world as complicated as the one we live in, without my mother or father. Who would I have become? I imagine that I would have spent the majority of my time wondering who my parents were, where they were, and questioning “who am I?”. I can only imagine that I would have questioned my destiny, my purpose, and my value. I would most assuredly have wondered about who I was, my identity, and what would I have to contribute to society.

A lot of people find their identity in their family. The tragedy of not having parents and feeling like you don’t have a place in this world, is why I love Kenya, it is why I love Jeho and I why I will continue my commitment to serving children around the globe. The children at Jeho are amazing. They don’t have parents, but they are extremely resilient. The directors at the orphanage in Jeho see the value in these children who some might say have been “thrown away.” How can someone who has been thrown away find their way? It’s amazing how the Necessary Arts program has the unique privilege of entering the lives of these unreachable children and sharing moments in their lives. The Necessary Arts team goes to impart knowledge into these beautiful faces and warm smiling children, but in return, we receive the gift of life and inspiration from them. These bright eyes and beautiful smiles, laugh, act, sing and dance, with us, as if they have not a care in the world. They live in conditions that most Americans have no idea exist, but yet they are more triumphant than a group of children living in a privileged society.

My most powerful moment teaching a group of students the poem “Our Deepest Fear” by Marianne Williamson. As they recited the poem together their eyes became wide, I could immediately tell that this was not just another drama piece for them, but it was motivation. As we all recited the line “We are all meant to shine…” one 12 year old girl screamed “YES!” She was deeply moved by the words of the author and she began to see herself shining in the text. The director of the center came over and sat down with the group and he began to memorize the poem as well. He said, “This is powerful.” I soon realized that the poem was a reflection of what he believed would help these children overcome. He spoke about how he believes there are no mistakes and how you can use your worse circumstance to become triumphant.

Triumphant! We went on to practice our poem and prepare for our play “The Grasshopper and The Ant” By: Pat Lay Wilson. The students continued to enjoy themselves and then they shared songs and dances from their culture. One of the songs they choose to sing was about shining. It was wonderful to see their lights shining brightly in that dark room. We danced around the room in a circle of love before we left. As we were leaving we were given many hugs and most importantly told, “you are family.” We were family to children who did not have a biological family. We had a place in their home and in their hearts. I believe the mission and the goals of the Necessary Arts team were accomplished today and that we had the unique privilege of participating in another triumphant moment, in the lives of those who had been thrown away, but still, had a unique identity, purpose, and passion.  

First Day Jitters at JEHO

By: Shanequa Dasher

Last night I felt like it was the night before the first day of school. I laid out my uniform, prepared my materials, and tossed and turned, daydreaming of the lessons, reactions, and personalities that I would encounter with the upcoming day. As I arose, well rested and excited for my day, I still couldn’t help but be a little nervous. How will the children receive this new face? Will they think I’m a little too kooky for their liking? Will they be just as nervous as I imagined I was?

These thoughts were soon put to rest as we were greeted by a friendly unfamiliar (yet familiar in a past life) face. His name was Pastor Joseph. He was the paternal figure of the Jeho Orphanage that we would be visiting. He greeted each and every one of us with an enormous warm hug (even me, the new face on the block). His embrace made me forget the nervous energy, forget the what ifs, how will, and will they. His embrace made me feel welcomed, appreciated, loved, and like family. I knew then, that if in fact these children that I would meet were in the leadership of this very individual, my worries and apprehensions had permission to subside. He guided us through the muddy waters of the dirt roads that had a fresh coat of rain from the earlier in the day. We rode through the bumpy terrain until we arrived at the doorstep of the very place, I will now affectionately refer to as, home.

We were greeted by little smiling faces who embraced us each with a handshake and hug. What was I ever nervous about? The children were genuinely excited to meet me, and see the other two familiar faces with whom they had worked with before. Our day began and now that the wonders and worries were over, it was time to have fun. Attentively and eagerly each child gathered around in a circle. They listened to Ms. Suzzi, The Necessary Arts Coordinator, as they were re-oriented and made privy to what the day had in store. They interactively responded to her questions, provided feedback, and were enthusiastic about the day ahead.

Alright….I’m up. It’s time for a getting to know you activity with Mrs. Dasher. I started with something light, but I still wanted to push them a little beyond their comfort zone. Of course they thought I was some silly new lady, but guess what? It worked out just fine. We did a simple introduction activity where each child(and adult) introduced themselves while taking on(and vocalizing) the persona of an animal of their choosing. I was a kitty cat, and of course everyone wanted to be a cat, but we escaped that animal with a little guidance, and the kids came up with some creative animals and sounds of their own. A few that I’m sure I may need to look up soon. I was pleased with how the introduction activity went, and was super happy the EVERY child participated. We continued with Mrs. LA and one of my favorite acting warm ups: Zip, Zap, Zop. The fierce spirit of competitiveness was on! They had the opportunity to play this game with Mrs. LA on a previous visit and were excited to hop back into it.

Ms. Suzzi and I collaboratively introduced a lesson on theater stage directions, and took and interactive approach in getting the students to learn them. After a run through of what each stage direction was, we allowed a few volunteers to approach the stage one at a time and go on a treasure hunt, blindfolded. The students in the audience were responsible for directing the blindfolded student using only the terms, “Stage left, stage right, center stage” etc. This was undoubtedly a fun and interactive way to teach and learn something that could otherwise be pretty ordinary. They thrived for the competitive edge of finding the “treasure” the fastest. Ultimately the teaching and learning process was a success.

We took a quick lunch, and immediately broke into small groups by age. I had the opportunity to work with my favorite age group, the youngsters which ranged from 3-11, while LA and Suzzi worked with two older groups. We began with the theatrical yet simplistic art of, storytelling. It was an opportunity to broaden their schema, introduce some new vocabulary, and listen to Mrs. Shanequa make silly character noises. They loved every minute, and to my surprise read along with me without being prompted to do so. In my short hour and a half block of time we did A LOT. We read, we reenacted using puppets, we reenacted using our own physicality, and we reflected on what we learned and were excited to do for the other two days that I visit them. They shared that they loved to sing and dance, and we all collaborated on the song that we would create to tell the story that we just read. It was a collaborative, heartwarming, and fulfilling experience I will never forget. The laughter, the smiles, the warm hugs, and high fives resonate vividly in the memories of my day. I look forward to days 2 and 3 and most importantly the other visits to Jeho Orphanage that are ahead.