WITH OPEN MINDS
Giving Back... With Open Minds
A.B.C. World Citizens & B.R.I.N.G.I.T.
At Hillside Middle School, Spring of 2013, and at the Manchester YMCA in Fall of 2012, the generous funding of A.B.C. World Citizens made a World Music program possible for multi-ethnic teens in Manchester.
Earlier, Fall of 2012, Randy Armstrong, founder of Do'a World Music Ensemble and Unu Mondo, faculty member at Phillips Exeter Academy and Plymouth State University, gave students the opportunity to both learn and share their musical talents.
St. Anselm College
WITH OPEN MINDS, St. Anselm College, local high schools and African tutoring programs partner to have students research and present "Portraits of Human Greatness" of countries and cultures coming to live in NH. WITH OPEN MINDS did sensitivity and cultural awareness with the participants.
Chosen countries to research include Egypt, Ivory Coast, India and the Dominican Republic, to name a few.
Artist in Residence
Randy Armstrong was the "Artist in Residence" for Hillside Middle School - the first time for the school to have an Artist in Residence.
Randy Armstrong has toured extensively throughout the world including the U.S., Canada, Croatia, Slovenia, Cuba, Ghana and South Africa. He has composed music for over 35 albums and film scores, as well as for a variety of stage and television productions.
Arts in Reach (A.I.R.)
A collaboration with A.I.R. of adolescent girls in the Portsmouth, NH area with WITH OPEN MINDS students. The project was called "Phenomenal Women".
Career Preparation
Students meet weekly at various locations in Manchester for tutoring, job seeking skills and to share their different customs and holidays.
Service Learning
Middle and high school students have done different service-learning projects. There is interest in designing multicultural dance and music. Another is to create a documentary video on refugee experiences.
Regular meetings have been held at West High School, the Manchester Salvation Army building, the Manchester YMCA and Manchester's West Side Library.
Peace Park clean-up,YMCA Camp Lincoln. Kingston, NH
Peace Day Celebrations, Exeter, NH
Building a fence at YMCA Camp Lincoln, Kingston, NH
