2002 Celebration
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2002 Celebration |
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Programs Ballet Folklórico Sentir Criollo, Inc. Program Descriptions Ballet Folklórico Sentir Criollo, Inc. Contact: Ballet Folklórico Sentir Criollo, in Plainfield, New Jersey, was formed with eight students in 1994. Today, the dance company—whose dancers range from age 6 to 30 and whose countries of origin include El Salvador, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Honduras, among others—performs traditional Latin American dances throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Dancers come from Plainfield, Piscataway, Edison, Middlesex, and North Plainfield, New Jersey. Sentir Criollo’s mission is to provide a safe haven to Latino youth for their cultural and personal development through a focus on Latin American folkloric dance. Dancers learn about each other’s cultures, learn each other’s dances, and perform the dances together for members of both Latino communities and general audiences. The program is unique in its focus on academics and community along with dance. In order for students to join the company they must be in good academic standing and be respectful of their parents and the general public. Sentir Criollo provides students needing academic assistance with tutors and mentors to ensure that they maintain their grade point average. Honesty, respect, and discipline are very important within the group. “Sentir criollo” is a phrase that has no literal translation but that most Latin Americans identify with. The phrase is carried out in the troupe’s philosophy, which is to focus on every culture of Latin America instead of a specific few—a mixture, a celebration of many cultures. When youth learn a dance from a new country, the dancer who comes from the country tells the troupe about the history and origin of the dance, and this serves as an informal cultural and historical class for everyone. In addition to culture, Sentir Criollo uses language to teach its dances. Spanish is the only language the instructor speaks during class. He repeats instructions and demonstrates the steps so that every dancer will understand the terms, and he uses words from every dancer’s culture, making sure that everyday words represent everyone and not a single culture or single way of speaking.
Better Beginnings Day Care Center Contact: Better Beginnings provides affordable, quality child care and is also devoted to being as responsive as possible to the unmet needs of the families and children of its community. Over the last 35 years, Better Beginnings has evolved from a narrowly focused day care program to a multiservice agency while carefully maintaining the excellence it is noted for. Better Beginnings was started in 1967 in response to an assessment that revealed that underprivileged children who were not doing well in school had not had a nursery school experience—a “must” for the area’s more affluent neighbors. With meager funds and volunteers, a nursery school for the children was started. When it became apparent that a part-time program met only part of the need—parents at work left children in risky circumstances because there were no programs for them—the United Way funded a full-day program for 15 children. This program preceded even Head Start. When the need for affordable day care for the working poor became nationally recognized, the center obtained state and federal funding, and it evolved again. Today, the center serves 99 children in three components—preschool, after-kindergarten, and after-school—providing a developmentally appropriate, multicultural curriculum with two-way immersion, and supporting multiple intelligences. The area in which it is located has been described as a small town with inner-city problems, with pockets of poverty in an otherwise middle-income community. Enrollment and copayments are based on income and family size, with the neediest being served first. About 65 percent of students are Latino, 27 percent are African American, and 3 percent are Anglo. Classrooms are based on a learning center model, with lesson plans based on themes, multiple intelligences, children’s learning styles, and their current needs and interests. Each classroom has a teaching team of two, one of whom teaches in Spanish and the other in English. Music, reading, writing, and all other concepts are offered in both languages. Cultural dishes are offered as part of the program, and peacemaking skills are taught from an early age. A print-rich environment offers labels of common objects in both languages, and photographs of many cultures are provided. In response to families’ and children’s needs and requests, the center also offers workshops on substance abuse prevention, violence prevention, computer access, and a “digital inclusion” program that aims to place a donated, usable computer in the home of each family. Bridgeton High School Latin American Club Contact: The Bridgeton High School Latin American Club is a school club that serves a diverse school community by involving youth in the development of educational, community, cultural, and recreational programs that promote commitment, organization, and leadership opportunities. It creates a sense of belonging to a legitimate group, and club camaraderie is such that some students attend school specifically so they can participate. The program was established in 1994 when a handful of students approached school district staff with concern that the growing student population lacked identity and recognition, and that school clubs were scarce at the time. Initially the club helped improve the educational, social, and cultural development of many of its members. Several meetings were held with members to explore what direction the newly formed group would take, and eventually the club was opened to the entire student body. Today, the club educates the community about Latino culture, partners with agencies to educate its members while helping others, serves as a model for new students, advocates education, and promotes Latino parent involvement. The membership is 99 percent Latino, and all meetings are bilingual, as are some club materials. Club members elect officers to carry out club business and represent the membership. The club is never steered in one direction but rather is as diverse as the club’s makeup. Thus, partnerships have developed with education, health, and community service agencies. Club members have served as interns in a classroom aide program and student coaches for the area Mexican soccer league; established a recognition merit award for a graduating senior attending college; helped identify the need for bilingual tutors of area elementary school students; and participated in the annual Parent Education Training Seminar, which focuses on family involvement tips. They have helped host the annual Community Children’s Shower, which informs families of the community services available to them; given cultural performances to area convalescent homes; run voter registration drives; and participated in the Reading Buddy program, which pairs high school students with bilingual elementary school students to promote reading. The Latin American Club is not distinguished by name but by developing new ideas and resurrecting old ones with enthusiasm—found in the minds of those who should be running student-centered programs: the students. From the club’s inception the most important strategy has been to assist students in creating an organization that would take on a life of its own. The students named the program, created its mission, helped write the bylaws, created the club logo, and run all club business.
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The center has created an environment governed by respect for both the adult and the child. By encouraging constructive dialogue among the children, staff, and community, staff improves the center’s responsiveness and cohesion. The center recruits and develops quality personnel to create an atmosphere of confidence and competence. Regular input from the staff and community improves the curriculum and program services. The fundamentals of Latino vocabulary, traditions, religion, food, music, and patterns of behavior are woven into the curriculum. This approach has been effective in maximizing Latino parent and community participation in every aspect of the programming and civic activities. In addition, the center provides a comprehensive school-readiness program to facilitate children’s physical, intellectual, and social development. As a result of this creative and stimulating program, children develop functionally appropriate language skills through active participation and observation, building upon the skills learned at home. This interactive process helps expand children’s intellectual capacity and social development. The center’s philosophy of family means integrating Latino youth into the activities. Young Latinos are especially challenged by the responsibilities of teen parenthood, as students and as members of the community. For teen parents whose children are enrolled in the program, the provision of quality child care that is compatible with the culture of the Latino family provides reassurance of acceptance and commitment. As helpers, the youth share their talents and enthusiasm with the staff and children, furthering an atmosphere of cooperation and family. The center participates in New Jersey’s Job Training Partnership Act and the Mayor’s Task Force on Youth, which targets youth for meaningful employment opportunities. Parenting skills are developed during training workshops in which parents volunteer their time to participate in EPIC (Every Person Influences Children), a six-week program. |