Delhi Community Arts Project 2008
Delhi India11 - 25 October 2008Back ground
The Great Generation has just completed its second highly successful project with Very Special Arts India.
Very Special Art’s aim is to create a society where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts. Very Special Arts India’s centre is also open to underprivileged children from the surrounding slum areas that attend additional English, Math, and Computer Science lessons.
The aim of this project was to support and compliment the work already being done by Very Special Arts India. In order to achieve this, the volunteers delivered a creative arts and crafts, and music and movement programme over a two week period.
The project
Each day was divided into two sessions. The morning session was set aside for the disabled children and young adults with the afternoon session being for the financially disadvantaged children.
The volunteers taught the children the story of ‘Elmer the Patchwork Elephant’. Elmer the Elephant is different from all the other elephants - he is covered in patchwork and very colourful. He felt out of place among the other animals but soon discovered that they love him just the way he is. Both groups did activities related to this story.
The story of Elmer was developed into a final show which the disabled children performed. The children chose which jungle animal they would like to play. The star of the show was a severely disabled little girl who played Elmer the Elephant.
All efforts were put toward the production! The art works were used to make a giant collage of Elmer, the forest scenery and the other animal costumes. In the music and movement sessions the children learned the Makarena which they performed as the closing dance. They danced it beautifully and even their dance teacher wanted to learn the moves!
The show was a resounding success despite the fact that the star of the show got stage fright and refused to come out!
The afternoon sessions with the underprivileged children were focused on having fun and building coordination. Amongst other things, the children made paper Mache skittles and played bowls tirelessly, learned the Makarena and made shakers to play along with the music and drew self-portraits as a way of learning spatiality.
Four of the volunteers also ran a specialised two day workshop for the teachers working at the centre. They focused on disability – defining what a disability is, how it is caused and how the teachers could develop programmes and gain skills to enhance the children’s experiences and provide for their needs.
The legacy
The teachers were provided a safe forum in which to discuss some of the difficulties they face in working with children with disabilities. The rare occasion to hear from people working in a similar area in the UK helped them get a better understanding of the challenges faced by the children themselves but most importantly the workshop provided the teachers with relief, new skills and courage.
The important moral of the Elmer story was highlighted again and again by the Matron of Very Special Arts India as a creative and thoughtful way to make the children feel positive and safe being who they are.
The volunteers were also excellent ambassadors for The Great Generation and further strengthened the relationship between ourselves and Very Special Arts India and the community they serve.
