Amani Art Safe Spaces

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The spaces serve as safe, secure, art-infused community centers for vulnerable youth in Kibera, Kenya. Art-mentor workshops are held as a means to generate community collaboration and build young leaders.

Standings & Awards

384 out of 591 in Africa
320 out of 778 in Education
334 out of 574 in Pilot
360 out of 992 in Charitable
613 out of 4003 Overall

18

VOTES

Amani Art, Amani Heart

Amani Art fosters inner and communal peace through creativity cultivation, collaboration, and mentorship.

Mission: To educate, encourage, and empower vulnerable youth through creativity development & positive relationships

Vision: Cultivate community peace, build innovative youth leaders, and positively change the cultural climate of a tribally-divided Kenya through art, mentorship, and community collaboration

Currently, one Amani Art Safe Space is installed in a non-formal school that serves Kibera's most vulnerable youth. Students 10 - 16 years old have daily access to the renovated room. Previously during free time, these vulnerable youths would turn to the streets to sell plastics or engage in other unhealthy behaviors in hopes of collecting a small income to sustain themselves. However, now Amani Art provides a safe, secure, and creative environment where students foster creativity, build trusting peer relationships, cultivate inner and community peace, and develop innovative solutions to community issues.

Twice a week after school, students participate in arts and life skills workshops lead by local artists and leaders. Additionally, students design 3-month individual projects in which they explore a personal passion through creative means. Mentors work one-on-one with students during individual projects in order to develop personalized relationships. These intimate relationships are invaluable. Frequently, students do not have supportive home environments and lack positive role models who can demonstrate admirable behaviors and attitudes. Amani Art combats negative influences by linking students to local leaders who demonstrate model behavior and provide psycho-social support. Through these mentor connections and art projects, students have the chance to grow into independent, creative leaders.

Students also gain skills that go beyond personal expression. As students engage with art materials, they learn to create crafts like jewelry, clothing, and home decor that can be sold in local and international communities. A new creative curriculum will be piloted in November in which students will challenge their concept of creativity. Students will develop ways to recreate every day items used in Kibera with recycled materials in a way that will enhance user experience. This new focus intends to mobilize creative thinking in a relevant manner so that students can use their creativity to directly enhance the lives of Kibera residents.

Support Your Idea Optional (5 - 7 minutes for three uploads)

Supporting Document:

Davis Amani Art Safe Space Final Report 2012.pdf

FIVE PROJECT QUESTIONS Required (60 - 90 minutes)

1. What is your innovation?

Amani Art's dual approach builds individuals and communities by instilling personal and peer confidence, communication, and leadership skills in Kenya's future leaders. Street youth develop self-esteem as they pursue a personal artistic passion with a mentor's guidance and support. Students also learn to collaborate with and support one another during group projects. Projects, such as peace murals, then extend beyond the safe space and into the community to promote peace and community cohesion.

2. Who gains the most?

Kibera street youth, 10-16 years old, immediately benefit from Amani Art's creative workshops and social supports. Such role models are lacking at home and in the community and are essential in preventing and combating negative habits that lead to negative lifestyles. As students cultivate inner peace through creative expression and positive relationships, they become the next generation of role models; their peaceful attitudes and positive actions penetrate and benefit the community.

3. Who pays?

Community artists and leaders who serve as mentors pay for Amani Art with their time and creativity. Through their efforts, they directly build self-esteems and future leaders and indirectly build a positive, creatively conscious community. Remaining funds from a Davis 100 Projects for Peace grant currently provides creative supplies. Future organizations that agree to support Amani Art as a NGO will provide funds for art supplies, scholarships, community artwork, and peace campaigns.

4. What is your success?

Amani Art will expand within its' current location and include workshops and mentors for 30 students per year. An additional safe space will be launched in another non-formal school in Kibera. As students complete schooling, new students will be absorbed into the program, eventually opening the opportunity for 120 students to complete the program in two years. Additional funding will make it possible to expand the program and provide scholarships for 20 students to attend secondary school.

5. How will you do it?

Amani Art was kick-started with the support of Carolina for Kibera (CFK) community connections and resources and the Undugu Society of Kenya (USK)'s non-formal school. Tri-monthly longitudinal evaluations will gauge the program's impact and success. Additionally, Amani Art will gain national recognition after a launch event in a Kibera common grounds in December. A student-designed peace logo will be spread throughout Kenya during more peace concerts lead by the Music Copyright Society of Kenya.