New Youth Program launches at African Art Gallery

A series of workshops, seminars, spoken word competitions and entrepreneurial projects designed to keep young people positively engaged and off the streets

Why are so many of
Rochester's young people dying each year in violence realted incidents?
What will it take to reverse this tragic trend and make our streets
safe once again?

Because those are such complicated questions the answers aren't simple. Perhaps there is no one answer, just a series of responsibilities that the entire community must accept to make change. For its part, the Baobab Cultural Center is launching a new program that hopefully will play a part in providing alternative activities for youth.

Language Arts Wednesdays
is the name of the new program, offered at the Baobab Center, 315
Gregory St., at 7 pm every Wednesday. The program plans to use
seminars, clubs, workshops, presentations and other events to help
promote literacy and art for people of all ages, but with a special
emphasis on teens.

These are some of the areas of Language Arts that the Baobab will target:

• POETRY - Participants will study such classic poets as Paul Laurence Dunbar and Langston Hughes
  and learn the differences and similarities between the older form of
  the discipline and how it manifests in modern art styles, like as Rap. Spoken Word, a popular and relatively new poetic form, will be thoroughly examined and some participants will have the opportunity to compete in Poetry Slams.
• STORYTELLING - In the venerable manner of legendary Aesop,
  poignant tales with significant moral messages will be introduced and
  the ultimate intention is that participants will be able to compose and
  tell their own stories.
• PUBLIC SPEAKING & DEBATE - In addition to art and culture, society and politics also has its place in the Language Arts Wednesdays
  lineup. Young people will be encouraged to retain an awareness of
  community issues and will be mentored on how to articulate their own
  concerns in a powerful and appropriate fasion.
• DRAMA AND ORATION - Local
  directors and performers will be brought in to work with participants
  with then intention of giving those youth all the tools they need to
  write, perform and produce their own theatrical expressions, which
  naturally will include the dicipline of monologue.
• PUBLISHING - Book(let)s,
  greeting cards, postcards, newletters, web logs - the different tools
  available for participants wo publish their work are many and Baobab
  will have adult mentorship for each phase of the process.

The
Baobab Center also offers a wide variety of cinematic features and
discussion twice a week and hosts a business club. The spaces is also
available for private functions, upon request.

For more information, contact Program Director Neima Neteri, call (585) 546-4790, or email info@thebaobab.org.