The Jamaica Project was the first trip where we officially branded ourselves as "Murals Talk". (You can see it on the t-shirts!) The trip was as much personal as it was about executing the mission of the mural program. It also marked the first collaboration between muralist Pamela Snyder Etters and mosaicist Dr. Anju Jolly. A chance meeting through the local Art in Common group would be the launch of a new friendship built on the common desire to transform lives through the creation of art!
The Jamaica project started when Pamela Snyder Etters approached long time friend and fellow soccer coach, Patrick 'Moe' Taylor. Moe has been a long time mentor for Pam as she first played/ practiced for him through high-school, and now coaches at Penn State University (Altoona) with him. Moe has always been an inspiration to Etters, and after hearing his story and the struggles he faced growing up in Waterhouse, Kingston, Jamaica, Etters wanted to not only give back to Moe, but help him give back to his roots.
The Waterhouse region of Kingston, Jamaica is a very impoverished community that has suffered from a low economic state, high crime, and high substance abuse problems. Many of the students come from broken homes with little left to spawn hope for a brighter future. These are exactly the circumstances our mural program is set-up to assist with!
The mural project once again began at Juniata Gap Elementary School in Altoona, PA where students learned about Jamaica. We talked about the history of Kingston and Moe shared what it was like to grow up there and why he worked so hard to make it to the United States and make a better life for himself and his family. The students at Juniata Gap then worked on the initial painting of the mural which tells the story of Jamaica's past, what we know to have happened up until current day. We them deconstructed the mural, packed it up, and headed to Jamaica.
We spent an entire week in Jamaica, mostly working with 6th grade students to complete the remaining sections of the mural that were left for them to fill in. The white space was to represent who they are now, and what they hope for the future of their community. They all created pictures sharing what made them proud to be Jamaican, what they are passionate about, and what they want to be when they grow up. We discussed their drawings and talked about how pursuing their goals could help reshape their community in a positive way. We also talked about what might get in the way of their dreams and what they could do (within their control) to overcome those obstacles.
The end result was magical. The children spoke of hope, and couldn't wait to share their accomplishment with the entire school. When we left their was a renewed energy in the students (as expressed by the school counselor) and a drive to work together, trust their mentors, and pursue greatness.
The mural still hangs in the common space of the school where students see it every day, and the story of our visit and reason behind the murals creation is still shared with new students every year.
Check our the blog from our Jamaica project on the Murals Talk blogsite: www.muralstalk.weebly.com
The Jamaica project started when Pamela Snyder Etters approached long time friend and fellow soccer coach, Patrick 'Moe' Taylor. Moe has been a long time mentor for Pam as she first played/ practiced for him through high-school, and now coaches at Penn State University (Altoona) with him. Moe has always been an inspiration to Etters, and after hearing his story and the struggles he faced growing up in Waterhouse, Kingston, Jamaica, Etters wanted to not only give back to Moe, but help him give back to his roots.
The Waterhouse region of Kingston, Jamaica is a very impoverished community that has suffered from a low economic state, high crime, and high substance abuse problems. Many of the students come from broken homes with little left to spawn hope for a brighter future. These are exactly the circumstances our mural program is set-up to assist with!
The mural project once again began at Juniata Gap Elementary School in Altoona, PA where students learned about Jamaica. We talked about the history of Kingston and Moe shared what it was like to grow up there and why he worked so hard to make it to the United States and make a better life for himself and his family. The students at Juniata Gap then worked on the initial painting of the mural which tells the story of Jamaica's past, what we know to have happened up until current day. We them deconstructed the mural, packed it up, and headed to Jamaica.
We spent an entire week in Jamaica, mostly working with 6th grade students to complete the remaining sections of the mural that were left for them to fill in. The white space was to represent who they are now, and what they hope for the future of their community. They all created pictures sharing what made them proud to be Jamaican, what they are passionate about, and what they want to be when they grow up. We discussed their drawings and talked about how pursuing their goals could help reshape their community in a positive way. We also talked about what might get in the way of their dreams and what they could do (within their control) to overcome those obstacles.
The end result was magical. The children spoke of hope, and couldn't wait to share their accomplishment with the entire school. When we left their was a renewed energy in the students (as expressed by the school counselor) and a drive to work together, trust their mentors, and pursue greatness.
The mural still hangs in the common space of the school where students see it every day, and the story of our visit and reason behind the murals creation is still shared with new students every year.
Check our the blog from our Jamaica project on the Murals Talk blogsite: www.muralstalk.weebly.com
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How to support Murals Talk
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BY MAIL
Checks can be made payable to Murals Talk – CPCF and mailed to:
Murals Talk Foundation c/o Central PA Community Foundation 1331 11th Avenue Altoona, PA 16601 |
ONLINE
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Unless otherwise advised, CPCF will notify the Murals Talk Foundation of your donation and the amount.
More information about the CPCF can be found at www.centralpagives.org
More information about the CPCF can be found at www.centralpagives.org
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The Murals Talk Foundation is administered by the Central Pennsylvania Community Foundation.
For more information about the community foundation, visit www.centralpagives.org.
For more information about the community foundation, visit www.centralpagives.org.
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