Local 4 GlobalKudu Arts
UGBAAD LINES (Ugbaad is 'fresh' in Somali)
Kudu Arts has worked on this project involving Somali young people and their parents/carers. Building on this activity with the Arts Learning Partnership at
Creating a learning community
This case study shows how UGBAAD Lines was able to develop a strategic partnership with the aim of raising the aspirations of Somali young people by forming links with universities, Aimhigher and schools and thereby formed a learning community. Kudu arts has a commitment to enrich learning opportunities for Somali students and their families through culture and by promoting an understanding of their place and identity within a global world in focused way over a sustained period.
Background
Kudu Arts is an artists-led small non-profit production organisation based in London that produces cross-cultural arts projects and workshops in partnership with artists, educators and peer organizations locally and internationally.
Kudu Arts already had good links and progression arrangements with universities and Partnerships with cultural origins. However, it has recently set up an artists lead Somali Festival to build the capacity of the artists and deliver educational projects looking beyond the local community Partnership in order to go above the local sectarian politics, to create and promote an inclusive learning community. To develop Sustainable links with universities, other stakeholders that takes these links to a new level, through the UGBAAD lines, the programme funded by Local4Global, Kudu Arts have made a commitment to work closely with Universities other stakeholders in a developmental and highly focused way over a sustained period;
Kudu arts is developing its capacity to deliver the program, by becoming member of London Schools arts Services, developing an artists CPD programmes, an annual festival with events targeted and accessible to families.
Taking part in international training conferences in Switzerland over three weeks, and in Kenya on UNESCO conference on Somali culture (culture of peace). Where Kudu Arts was able to represent the Somali Diaspora, especially to put cultural education on the agenda work with young Somali people was extremely profitable. We were able to make links with Interpeace, an international NGO interested in Somali Diaspora community and dialogue for peace. Interpeace was very interested in children and young people and dialogue for Peace and the work being developed by kudu Arts.
Kudu Arts has created new learning opportunities for Artists by passing them on to other festivals organizations to work with schools.
The university staff gain research opportunities and new partnerships with Somali Community funded by Tower Hamlets and Aimhigher; to create a Family learning Conference with Oxford House using drama and involving Some of the Artists and University student Ambassadors from the met. Kudu arts decided not to be involved in this programme as we do not have the capacity and not to take on these issues at the community level are quite complex and sectarian but to peruse the underlying uses and make links with international organizations with a local approach and local organizations with an international experience with young artists and the festival to engage Somali Families the wider Somali community disseminate our finding on the project through Kudu arts festival Somali festival and conferences.
The university students gain skills development and insight into Somali Culture.
Using the findings to develop the schools programme in a more inclusive way, the
School community with global dimension key concepts, Some of the young people were not able to take part in the project, feeling isolated as the project did not include their non-Somali peers. There were also a lot of under-lying uses of conflict between the Somali students Symptomatic of wider conflict within the community.
When we delivered the project in the different settings we had numerous occasions where a Somali student would challenge the reason for putting all the Somali students in one class, the last incident took place in Lister school. This is the story that ensued.
The Story
A young Somali student came to the door of the class room were the workshop was taking place asked to come into the workshop and she responded by asking will my friend be able to also attend and was told by the schools support teacher no it's only for Somali Students and she stayed at the door trying to persuade the teacher while still challenging why here friend was not able to attend ,she was told if she was interested she can take part, she responded by saying only if her friend was also able to participate, she added if its something positive way not share it with our class mates friends. and started to make negative remarks about how useful could it be having only Somali students in one place, and then she left.
At the end of the Somali Success day another student reminded me of that incident and said this was very useful more than that he added way not allow other young people to see this it's excellent and he had a great time, he ended by saying gathering all the Somali students is what puts one off but it was a great experience can we not do both work and share with our class and do something with other Somali students.
This attitude is been very common throughout the project, these young Somali Students have a very negative perception of themselves and anything to do with being Somali furthermore they call each other refugee immigrant foreigners and the list goes on, as most of the young Somali people we have been working with have been a mixture of new arrivals and children who have been born here.
Implementation
The schools in west London are particularly keen to use the Ugbaad Lines and Somali Success days to provide enriched learning opportunities for Somali students in Ealing, BME African and Caribbean students in South hall and a mix class of all the children in Hammersmith and fulham .The university at TVU will host the Somali Success day, Ealing Aim Higher and TVU will fund the schools work in February 2008.
The second phase of the project will concentrate on developing the artist skills. And deliver on the relevant key concepts underlying the idea of the global dimension to the curriculum, e, g Diversity, conflict resolution and interdependence, wile still aiming to raise the aspirations of young Somali people. But not working exclusively with Somali Students.
Kudu Arts avoid direct partnerships with large organizations and deliver on commissioned funded projects wiith a sustainable outcome.
Impact
The program is still in its early stages, but it is expected to have benefits for both Kudu Arts and stake holders.
It will contribute to the university's aim of widening participation in higher education and developing its teaching and learning strategies. It will farther build the capacity of Kudu Arts to creating learning opportunities for family's , work in partnership with artists, educators and peer organizations, reinforcing the main aim to increase knowledge and understanding of the work of Somali artists and their practice both historic and contemporary links with schools and the global dimension.
Promote diversity and community cohesion by involving non Somali artists and students. to engage Somali Families the wider Somali community ,disseminate our finding on the project through Kudu arts Numbi festival (dialogue in the Diaspora) family Eid Calibrations in October 2007, conferences and family workshops with the theme of Children and young people. Last year we gave 58 free tickets to all the children who take part in the programs and their families.
Created a learning community by working collaboratively with a range of stakeholders including pupils, teachers, university students, Professional artists, community centers and local authorities. And international networks.
Enriched learning opportunities to for Somali students
Students who are better prepared for university
Share the work of Kudu Arts with Somali studnets
Kinsi Abdullah, Kudu Arts, November 2007
<< Back to London