These two were so happy to see their backpacks arrive, with new shoes, clothing and toys. Special gifts from their new friends in the US!
Park Friends
Tag, jump rope and big smiles – it must be park day in Cusco!
Thank You for the Coats!
One of our volunteers held a coat drive for one of the Nuevo Camino moms and the kids of San Juan. Their thank you video is too cute for words. Check it out here!
A New Library
With a little help from their friends, the people of San Juan built a new library for their schools. Something New helped purchase supplies, while the teachers, parents and kids worked together to create a beautiful new learning space. Students sang and performed to celebrate its grand opening!
Nuevo Camino Park Day
Fighting for a new path is no walk in the park. But when you’re not alone it’s a little bit easier. Today marked another beautiful park day with Nuevo Camino!
Getting Ready for Park Day!
Nuevo Camino started a new tradition of park days on Sunday afternoons. It is a blast for all, and these kids can’t wait to get there!
Alternative Spring Break 2017
al·ter·na·tive
ôlˈtərnədiv/
adjective
adjective: alternative
Definition: relating to behavior that is considered unconventional and is often seen as a challenge to traditional norms.
Synonyms: revolutionary, out of the ordinary, non-standard, radical, unconventional, uncommon, unusual, nonconformist, different, possible
Something New just wrapped up an exciting spring break season, welcoming over 200 students from 15 schools for an ‘alternative’ take to their spring break. Just days after President Trump’s revised travel ban and continued halt to the U.S. refugee resettlement program, our New Alternative participants spent the week, serving, learning, and training in Clarkston, GA — a new home for many from conflict zones around the world who are seeking freedom and opportunities for their children. Clarkston, GA is known to be the “most diverse square mile in the United States”. The students chose to spend their week participating in Something New’s service-learning program, New Alternative.
Our groups collectively spent over 360 hours serving in the Clarkston community. Students volunteered in schools that represent 60+ native languages, and found that it was possible to connect despite language and age barriers. While our students weren’t serving in the classroom or at a local after school program, they were outside preparing community gardens for fresh crops and clearing parks and recreation areas for the community’s use.
In addition to service-our students participated in a variety of educational activities. They learned about civil and human rights at The Center for Civil and Human Rights, learned from community leaders during a panel at the Clarkston Community Center, and had an opportunity to learn more about nonviolence and how the nonviolence journey begins within themselves through our introductory New Way training.
Student highlights included learning more about refugee resettlement along with learning more about themselves and making new friends. Thank you to everyone who came during March — we are so glad to know you and can’t wait to see you again!
Here’s some snapshots from this spring break season.
If this sounds like a trip for your college or university, please contact our New Alternative director, Emily Mumford for more information (emily@somethingnew.org).
Film Festival Director: Joseph East
New Expression Denver is working on its first ever Film Festival. The youth are loving it as they learn by doing from concepting to storyboarding to directing and shooting to editing. The person behind it all? Meet Joseph East.
Early years
I always loved movies, and from an early age wanted to tell stories.
In middle and high school I found an outlet for telling stories in theater, performing in musicals like Wizard of Oz, Fiddler on the Roof and Into the Woods.
As a kid, I wanted to make my own movies, but only got so far because of limited resources. As I got older, I began to learn the impact movies could have on people–their ability to touch hearts, spark conversations and ignite change.
At first I thought I wanted to make big Hollywood movies like the ones I loved growing up, so I enrolled at the Colorado Film School. But while at school I discovered documentaries– stories about the struggles, joys and journeys of real people. Documentaries introduced me to a whole new world, and I decided to pursue this new world wholeheartedly.
I Will Dance
That led to Selma, AL and the story of RATCo (now New Expression). For three years on a journey that took me from Selma to New York City, I shot and edited a feature-length documentary that became I Will Dance, a story about a group of young people breaking cycles and defying statistics through music, dance and spoken word poetry. The documentary has toured festivals and broadcast on PBS in Colorado.
In many ways, Selma changed my life. There I met my wife, Alicia (also a writer and producer for I Will Dance). [Read more…]
NXP Denver – Community Outreach
Kendall Stark is the Director of the Denver chapter of New Expression, and she has been leading the Community Outreach workshops for youth in the Denver area. In a recent interview, she explained why she started the class, and why she feels it’s necessary:
“Community service is my favorite component of New Expression. Our culture is very centered around self, and consumed with what we ‘want,’ so a service workshop is a perfect way to push outside our comfort zones to help people. Making those connections with others is beautiful. I absolutely LOVE seeing the kids engage with the community!” Kendall has noticed that while the young volunteers may not initially feel they can relate with the people they serve, as they get into it, they find they actually do have a lot in common.
Kendall has worked to form a partnership between New Expression and the Victorian House (an assisted living facility) in Parker. “The kids have a great time talking with the residents, playing games and doing art projects.” She takes a group to the Victorian House several times a month.
This Spring, Kendall has designed part of the workshop to especially focus on our youngest participants, those age 4-8. She feels there is a very special gift that this age group can give, especially to our elderly community. “It’s incredible to see how the residents respond to the youngest kids. It is powerful! Part of my goal for this workshop is to provide opportunities for our kids to make connections with our older community members on a regular basis. So both groups can have these positive experiences they wouldn’t have otherwise.”
She also is developing service projects to support the work of the Ronald McDonald House in the area, and The Crossing (a homeless shelter).
Kendall believes that giving back to the community is an enriching experience for youth of all ages, and adults as well. She plans to expand this program in the seasons to come. “Any age is welcome to come!” She said in closing. “There is fun to be had by all!”
Feelin’ The Beat With Markese
(contributed by Cora Davis and Amanda Farnsworth)
Markese Hunter lives as if music is always playing the background. If he doesn’t have drumsticks in his hand, you’re likely to catch him freestyling or choreographing instead. He has a gift for sensing rhythm wherever he goes–which he used to choreograph a dance to “Lift Me Up” by David Guetta (ft. Nico & Vinz and Ladysmith Black Mambazo). Check it out below:
Sometimes, it’s the beat of a song that inspires him to put moves to music. But this time, he was inspired by the lyrics. “This song has a lot of inspirational things in it, so I knew it was good to put some inspirational moves in it. Something hyped up, to get the creative juices flowing,” he said. The lyrics that inspired him the most:
“I’m just like you, why you trynna bring me down?
I’m just like you, help me turn this thing around.”
This lyric expresses something Markese feels deeply: how important it is to realize that we are all alike; and that when we work together, we can make this world a better place.
If you watch New Expression perform, you may see several unique original moves in Markese’s choreography. One of these moves he named the “Jump Dab.” He explains, “The ‘Jump Dab’ came from the ‘Dab.’ A lot of people know the ‘Dab’ from Cam Newton doing it. The ‘Jump Dab’ is a flavor that we added to it.”
Whether it’s the “Dab” or the “Dougie,” Markese makes sure that his dances are simple enough for all ages to be able to dance along. “I slow them down. Like how we changed the ‘Dab’ to the ‘Jump Dab,’ you gotta work with people and meet them where they’re at. That’s what I did. I try not to make it too complicated or hard, so everyone can dance to it without thinking about it so much when they’re dancing,” he said.
Choreographer and New Expression Ambassador Markese. [Read more…]