Sally Ball

4.2 A Journey and a Roadmap: Lessons Learned from Co-Creating an After-school Art Program with/for Newcomer Youth from Refugee Communities (Paper) – virtual

Sally Ball – University of Arkansas, USA – virtual

Abstract:

This paper is a self-study of a collaboration with a non-profit organization, Canopy NWA, to design and implement an after-school art program for newcomer youth from refugee communities. Through investigating my positionality as a middle-aged white woman, current teaching practices, and experience teaching students from refugee communities, I set out to answer the following two questions: How will my art teaching practice develop, shift, evolve, and become more inclusive through co-building and co-facilitating an art program with/for newcomer youth? and What are the practical and logistical considerations of building an after-school art program with/for students from refugee communities? Through the metaphor of a journey and a roadmap, I aim to illuminate how my art education teaching practice has changed through my involvement in this project and to offer useful resources for other art educators who wish to embark on a similar journey.