Urban Studies Department News
Dr. Kimberlee Johnson Presenting at The Justice Conference
Dr. Johnson, Chair of the Urban Studies Department, will be presenting at The 2012 Justice Conference, which will take place in Philadelphia. Eastern University is this year's the Host Institution! The conference will take place February 22nd-23rd. Learn more at http://www.eastern.edu/news/
Dr. Drick Boyd Presents at Windows fo the World
Dr. Boyd has presented at two of Eastern University's fall Windows on the World. The first presentation on September 14th was entitled The Gospel of Jesus and Gun Violence: Personal stories about faith and firearms. The second presentation on October 12th was a faculty panel on justice and the future of the United State's healthcare. More can be read about these presentations at this link.
MAUS Alumni Travel to Haiti
Amy Tuttle (2012 M.A. in Urban Studies: Arts in Transformation), Jamaine Smith (2012 M.A. in Urban Studies: Arts in Transformation) and Laurie Williams (2001 M.B.A. in Urban Economic Development and 2012 Master’s in Multicultural Education) travel to Haiti to begin a six week BuildaBridge training project with UNICEF-Haiti. The team plans to train 90 community workers in three locations. The locations are Artibonite, Port-au-Prince, and Jacmel. TheBuildaBridge team started training in Haiti on Monday September 17 and will continue through October 28.
Dr. Kimberlee Johnson Publishes Article
Prisim magazine recently published an article written by Dr. Kimberlee Johnson, Chair of the Urban Studies Department, in the September/October 2012 edition. The article is entitled Kids Shouldn't Die in Prison, which discusses life-sentencing for juvenile offenders. A copy of this article can be accessed at http://prismmagazine.org/. Prisim is a publication of Evangelicals for Social Action.
Rebekah Wilcox, 2010 graduate, Begins Position with PA Council of the Arts
Rebekah Wilcox, a 2010 graduate of the MA in Urban Studies with a concentration in the Arts in Transformation, recently began a new position with Jump Street, a private, nonprofit, community based arts incubator, serving Central Pennsylvania. Jump Street’s programs serve youth, adults and the community at large with education, project, and mentor based programming. Rebekah is serving in a newly created position by the Governor’s Office, as an Art in Education Partner for the PA Council of the Arts. This is one of 13 positions across the state. Among her responsibilities are recruiting, selecting, training, placing and evaluating professional-quality resident artists in her regions for residencies in educational environments, and she is currently working to set up residencies in three Pennsylvania counties.
Urban Studies Travel course goes to Bogota, Columbia
Students, mostly in the Arts in Transformation Concentration of the M.A. in Urban Studies, traveled to Bogota, Colombia August 1-14, 2012 in a special community partnership with BuildaBridge International and Comunidad Viva of Bogota. Working with a local community, the students provided training to 54 community workers learning about creative safe places for children and youth and then partnered with the trainees to conduct an arts camp for nearly 60 youth, including painting a community mural.
O, YES! Conference
On June 29th-30th, the Center for Urban Youth Development will host a special conference event entitled O, YES! The purpose of the conference is to enlighten middle school and high school students from Philadelphia & vicinity on topics related to sex & sexual health. Our objective is to help youth make wise choices concerning their lives. The conference is presented from a Christian worldview. For more information, visit this link.
Dr. Boyd makes presentation at Holy Family University
On March 30 Dr. Boyd participated in a conference at Holy Family University "A Just World: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Social Justice." He presented a paper entitled "Anti Racist White Allies: A Need for Role Models" which puts forth the thesis that whites wanting to work for racial justice need to know the stories of whites in history and in the present who have sought to live for racial justice. In the context of the paper I then told the story of John Woolman, a Quaker in the 1700's who convinced Quaker slaveowners to release their slaves, and J.Waties Waring, a judge in Charleston, SC, who late in his 60's turned on his previous "Southern Way of Life" and issued several decisions assuring equal treatment for blacks in the segregated South. The presentations from the conference will be published in a book due to come out in early 2013.
Culture in Community Contexts Travel Trip
Community Fabric: Broadening Community Capital in Bogota
Arts in Transformation students in the M.A. in Urban Studies will be fulfilling their annual international service/learning experience in Bogota, Colombia August 10-14, 2012. The trip is coordinated through the international programs of Buildabridge International a community partner of Eastern University. Partnering with Comunidad Viva, a small community-based church, the class will 1) participate in training of local artists, teachers and community workers, 2) conduct a catalytic Arts for Hope Camp based on the theme of social fabric, and 3) study the urban context of Bogota and the organizations that serve its people. We are working with Jorge and Virginia Enciso, two missionaries who have worked with the Comunidad Viva for more than four years. The church currently works with area congregations and associations that serve the children of the community, primarily those who have academic and social deficiencies. The trip is open to non-Eastern students based on approval. Contact: Dr. J. Nathan Corbitt ncorbitt@buildabridge.org.
Dr. Johnson to Present at Conference
Dr. Kimberlee Johnson will present at the annual conference of the American Baptist churches entitled Go to a New Land: Journeying toward God--A Ministry Conference. The conference will be in Orlando, Florida from January 23rd-27th, and she will present on the topic, "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," lessons about leadership integrity.
Ulyses Pratt Publishes Second Book
Ulyses Pratt (MA in Urban Studies Student) Enterprises, LLC Presents Mr. Pratt’s Second Book entitled: Dreaming Big For Life: How to Make your Dreams work For You. A Book signing will be take place:
Date: February 18, 2012
Time: 4pm-7pm
Location: The Enterprise Center
4548 Market Street Philadelphia PA 19139
For more information, please contact a U Pratt Staff memberat uprattenterprises@gmail.com or visit our website at www.uprattenterprises.com
New Student founder of non-profit
New Student, Ryan Uran, founded Advent Urban Youth Development organization, located in North Texas. The mission of the organization is to transform underserved urban neighborhoods by providing its youth with tangible love, holistic resilience, and authentic community. You can learn more about Advent by visiting their website: http://auyd.org/ or Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/OneBelovedCommunity.
SHANE CLAIBORNE TO PRESENT URBAN STUDIES LECTURE OCTOBER 10
Shane Claiborne '97, prominent social activist and bestselling author of The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical (2006), will speak on Monday, October 10 at 6 p.m. in the Turner Auditorium at the Eastern University Falls Center. This event is hosted by the Urban Studies Department. He will discuss social justice issues and take questions following his presentation. The Falls Center is located at 3300 Henry Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. Space is limited and RSVP is required. RSVP to nbrouhar@eastern.edu.
BuildaBridge International hosts Young Haitian Leaders
Ten Haitian Young Leaders participated in an arts-based Youth Leadership Training at BuildaBridge International the week of August 18th. Among training facilitators were MA in Urban Studies students, Maeva Renaud and Julia Crawford. Learn more about the training at this link.
Dr. Corbitt to Give Presentation at The 2011 Association of Theater in Higher Education Conference
Entitled Building Global Bridges of Hope and Healing, it will be presented in conjunction with The Katrina Project, Black Theater Association, and TASC. It will discuss performance remains, global presence, memory, legacy and imagined futures. The presentation is schedule for Friday, August 12th at 11:30 AM in The Palmer House Hilton Hotel, Chicago, Illinois. Learn more at this link.
Dr. Boyd Article for The Christian Century
Dr. Drick Boyd's article, Limited Access, has been published in The Christian Century magazine. This article discusses mobilization for gun control. It can now be viewed online it at this link.
Arts in Transformation Students travel to Thailand
http://www.buildabridge.org/
Emily Jameson presents These Stories Have Faces to Oregon's State Captial
Emily Jameson, Class of 2010, is currently working in advocacy at the Oregon Center for Christian Voices. In May she hosted a screening at Oregon’s state capitol for legislators to show them stories collected regarding the need for Health Care Reform. Read these stories by visiting www.thesestorieshavefaces.org.
Quo Vadis Art Therapia?
It is a long title and one you would expect at an academic congress--Arts for Relief and Development: developing non-clinical psycho-social support for hope, healing and resilience through creative art-making in the community context. The Congress title was even longer. The International scientifical Congress of art therapists organized by the Institute for education in art therapy in cooperation with the Department of Art education and the Department of Psychology and Psychopathology, Faculty of Education, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, Date: 15-16 April, 2011. Over 50 students and creative art professionals from Israel, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia participated in the two-day conference exploring the field and directions for the future.
So why is Dr. Corbitt, a non-creative art therapist, speaking at this Congress? His role was to present an international perspective on the needs and about what is happening in the world with children and youth living in poverty, and how art-making makes difference.
The organizer and leader of the conference was Dr. Slava Sickova (pronounced "Sheetzkova"). She and her husband Jan are internationally recognized sculptors from Bratislava. They don't do small things and have big ideas. You can find their massive sculptures in Asia and Europe. Slava had a vision to begin arts therapy in her country. In a studio in her home, she began studying the power of clay therapy with children in her community who experienced emotional and physical difficulties. Well documented, her research was eventually published and she approached her university about creating an academic program for the many visual artists in Slovakia and Eastern Europe.
Drs. Corbitt and Nix-Early and Jason Nicholas met Jan and Slava over seven years ago during a survey trip to community arts programs in Europe. The Eastern University's Angels of Harmony later sang a concert in Bratislava in 2007. In 2009, Jan and Slava visited the BuildaBridge and Eastern University where she gave a number of practical workshops on clay therapy.
Meeting a Legend in Guatemala
How often does on get the chance to meet a living legend? Drs. Corbitt and Nix-Early (faculty in the Arts in Transformation concentration) traveled to Guatemala to meet faculty and research programs of Landivar University and the Asociación Efraín Recinos, along with making a site visit to Sonrisas a community arts program for kids in the national cememtary. A highlight of the visit was a tour of the National Theater, the architectural creation of Efraín Recinos (left center). The tour was arranged by Cecelia Zurita, a member of the association and a part of the university research programs, and led by Aldo N. Bonilla. Aldo N. Bonilla (left), President of the Association, stated, It [was] a privilege to be able to introduce you to MAESTRO RECINOS... it was a great opportunity for you to meet a Guatemalan whose geniality and amazing personality is quite different from us and especially in a country [developing an] identity and the important feeling of belonging...he's the reason we are dedicated to success in building new community relations in a country needed of help to help others. As a [non-profit] Association we are committed to supporting projects that help reduce community conflict and create awareness through art. Our first approach using Proyecto transformARTE has been successful.
The Association participated in a BuildaBridge Diaspora of Hope training in Guatemala City in November 2010. Taking the principles of the BuildaBridge Classroom, they conducted the first Proyecto transform ARTE in 5 local schools with over 650 children participating.
Teyne Crum, class of 2008, begins new youth development consulting agency
Teyne is the CEO of Beyond the Exterior, a Philadelphia youth development and advocacy resource, and now she is additionally providing independent consulting services. Some of those services include needs assessments, leadership and character development, mentorship, program and project development, youth development, ministry development as well as organizational and management skills. Visit her website: http://www.teynecrum.com.
Seth Dorrell, Adjunct Professor with the Urban Studies Dept, is moving to Haiti
The Dorrell family is planning their move to Haiti in late April to join in the work of Mission Waco in the city of Ferrier. They will officially leave Philadelphia close to April 1st to spend some time with family and prepare for their relocation. Some of the things in which Mission Waco is doing in Haiti include: digging wells to access clean water, providing medical clinics, sponsoring education, developing partnerships with Haitian churches, and training Haitians leaders. To learn more or donate, visit the Mission Waco website: http://www.missionwaco.org/.
