American Association Of Museums

PURPOSE: REEL STORIES AIMS TO EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE BY IMPROVING THE CONFIDENCE, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND IMAGERY OF MARGINALIZED GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN IN THE COMMUNITIES OF METRO DETROIT AND JERUSALEM. THIS PROJECT OFFERS JOINT PROGRAMMING FOR A TOTAL OF 40 TEENAGE GIRLS, AGES 14-17 (20/REGION) WHO ARE UNDERSERVED IN THE ARTS. PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN THE ART OF FILMMAKING, AND SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH ONE ANOTHER AND THEIR COUNTERPARTS OVERSEAS VIA CLOSED SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS, SKYPE, AND IMMERSIVE CULTURAL EXCHANGE. IN ADDITION TO TECHNICAL SKILL-BUILDING IN FILM PRODUCTION, SESSIONS WILL FACILITATE DIALOGUE ON GENDER AND EMPOWERMENT, IDENTITY AND CULTURE, AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION. COURSES WILL CULMINATE IN A SERIES OF PUBLIC FILM SCREENINGS IN MICHIGAN AT THE ARAB AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM AND IN JERUSALEM AT THE PALESTINIAN HERITAGE MUSEUM.

PURPOSE: WATERWAYS AFFECT THE ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENTS OF REGIONS. IN MANY COMMUNITIES, THEY INFLUENCE PEOPLES' COMPLEX CULTURAL IDENTITIES, WHICH ARE, IN SOME WAYS, TIED TO THESE WATERS. THIS PROJECT ENGAGES UPWARDS OF 400 TEENS, AGED 14-17, FROM SCHOOLS IN SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE AND BUENOS AIRES TO STUDY THEIR WATERWAYS IN ORDER TO DEVELOP A GREATER APPRECIATION OF WATER AND TO ENCOURAGE ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE HABITS. TEENS FROM BOTH COMMUNITIES WILL CONDUCT HISTORIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH ON THEIR LOCAL RIVERS, AS WELL AS STUDY ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL CONNECTIONS, IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY THE SIMILARITIES THAT CONNECT THEM. APPROXIMATELY EIGHT STUDENTS FROM EACH COUNTRY WILL TRAVEL FOR AN IN-PERSON EXCHANGE, WHILE ALL OF THE TEENS WILL SHARE THEIR STORIES VIA VIRTUAL MEETINGS, A SHARED WEBSITE, ONLINE AND ON-SITE EXHIBITS, A COMMUNITY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN, COMMUNITY FESTIVALS AT BOTH LOCATIONS, AND PUBLIC ART PROJECTS.

PURPOSE: YOUTH INNOVATE COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS WILL CONNECT APPROXIMATELY 25 UNDERSERVED LATINO TEENS FROM NEW YORK CITY AND APPROXIMATELY 25 AT-RISK YOUNG ADULTS IN MEDELLN, COLOMBIA, AGED 14-21. WORKING AS A TEAM, THESE YOUTH WILL EXPLORE CHALLENGES THAT THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES FACE. TOGETHER, THEY WILL DEVELOP CREATIVE SOLUTIONS THAT APPLY SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ART, AND MATH (STEAM) AND LINK THEIR SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE WITH REAL-WORLD COMMUNITY NEEDS. THE TEAMS WILL COMMUNICATE REGULARLY VIA VIDEO CONFERENCES AND SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS, SUCH AS BLOG POSTS (IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH), AND SOCIAL MAPPING TECHNOLOGY. THROUGH THIS PROJECT, YOUTH WILL GAIN GLOBAL 21ST-CENTURY SKILLS AND LEARN TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY, WHILE DEVELOPING SOCIAL AWARENESS AND A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF ONE ANOTHER'S CULTURES. THE SHARED EXPERIENCES OF YOUTH IN MEDELLN AND NEW YORK CITY WILL PROVIDE INSPIRATION, BUILD COMMUNITY, & EMPOWER PROJECT PARTICIPANTS TO APPLY SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE TO REAL-LIFE CHALLENGES.

PURPOSE: THIS PROJECT WILL ENGAGE TWO CULTURALLY DISTINCT COMMUNITIES IN RURAL NEW ENGLAND AND BHUTAN IN CONVERSATIONS AND KNOWLEDGE SHARING FOCUSED ON URGENT ISSUES OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY. AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM OF 10 COLLEGE STUDENTS (FIVE/REGION) WILL COLLECT PERSONAL STORIES OF THE IMPACT ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IS HAVING ON THE LIVES OF PEOPLE IN THEIR COUNTRIES. THEY WILL CO-CURATE THEIR COLLECTION DURING FACE-TO-FACE CULTURAL EXCHANGE VISITS AND OVER A VIRTUAL PLATFORM. THIS WORK WILL HELP GLOBAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS MERGE SCIENTIFIC DATA WITH LOCAL NARRATIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE; HELP UNIVERSITY-AGED STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRATING DIFFERENT KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS INTO COMMUNITY-BASED SCIENCE LEARNING AND DIALOGUE; AND BRING INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES TOGETHER TO CREATE PROGRAMMING THAT ENHANCES UNDERSTANDING OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.

PURPOSE: THE STORY OF THE MAYA DIASPORA TRANSCENDS GEO-POLITICAL BORDERS, AND EXPRESSIONS OF MAYA CULTURE ARE INFLUENCED BY THE VARIOUS PLACES WHERE THEY HAVE SETTLED. MAYA FROM THE MARGINS IS DESIGNED TO EMPOWER MINORITY COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE RECUPERATION OF HISTORICAL IDENTITIES, PARTICULARLY MAYA COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN DISENFRANCHISED THROUGH THE DESTRUCTION OF ANCESTRAL ARTIFACTS. THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND CREATIVE ONLINE DISCUSSIONS, APPROXIMATELY 20 MAYA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM NORTH CAROLINA AND YUCATAN (10/REGION) WILL COLLABORATIVELY PRODUCE A MUSEUM EXHIBIT FOCUSING ON THE THEMES OF HISTORY, IDENTITY, AND MIGRATION. AS AMATEUR ARCHIVISTS, STUDENTS WILL EXAMINE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS THAT INFORM WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN INDIGENOUS MAYA PERSON AND HAVE DEEP HISTORICAL ROOTS WHILE CONSIDERING THE IMPACTS OF MIGRATION ON INDIGENOUS IDENTITIES. THE EXHIBIT WILL TRAVEL WITH BOTH COHORTS OF STUDENTS TO EACH COUNTRY, WHERE STUDENTS WILL PRESENT THEIR RESEARCH TO THEIR HOME COMMUNITIES.