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Letter from Susan
Claire's haiku emerged out of a collaboration with the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia's Walking the Walk program and our Interfaith Youth Poetry Project. It asks each of us an important question and one that, no matter who we are or where we come from, we can never ask enough. Do I always think to hold open the world's door for people unknown? The Arts & Spirituality Center just released our latest Interfaith Youth Poetry Project journal that takes its title from Claire's haiku and is called, "Hold Open the World's Door." It is full of the inspired and inspiring voices of youth from all over Philadelphia whose voices and experiences help me to consider over and over again my place in my community and whether I am doing my part "to hold open the world's door for people unknown." It also invites me to ask this question of the Arts & Spirituality Center and I invite each of you, no matter how you are affiliated with the Arts & Spirituality Center (as a board member, artist, donor, program participant, staff member, volunteer...), to think about your involvement with the organization and to think about whether we are doing all that we can do "to hold open the world's door for people unknown" and going forward what each of us can do to hold that door open as widely as possible. As we consider that question for the Arts & Spirituality Center, I am pleased to update you on the latest news of the organization. It has been a busy year since our last newsletter with creative partnerships, new staff members, the launch of a pilot program at Germantown High School and other exciting news! Information provided here is brief, and I encourage you to click on the links to read full articles which include pictures, poetry and more details on each story. Last spring, Pam Hooks and Cathy Cohen brought together rap and poetry in a new poetry program at Community Education Partners (CEP), a charter high school in North Philadelphia that serves low performing students. Pam and Cathy met regularly with students introducing the craft of poetry, nurturing students' own poems and making connections to rap--a form already popular in the school. Read more about the program, see pictures from their year-end poetry slam and read original and deeply moving poems from the students. We are proud to announce that IYPP poet Huda Aziz is one of 21 students who received this year’s “Young Heroes Award” at the National Liberty Museum. Read more about Huda and her accomplishments and experience one of her works, "The Healing Poem." The Interfaith Youth Poetry Project and the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia joined together this past summer inspiring a group of interfaith teenaged girls to use artistic expression to facilitate healing, understanding and the development of deep relationships. Be sure to see Remah's plate and read an excert from the yearbook they made. In August, the Arts & Spirituality Center expanded its staff to include Thomas McSorley as Managing Director and Pam Wat as Program Consultant. Learn more about who they are and what they are up to! I have already mentioned "Hold Open the World's Door", our newest journal of the Interfaith Youth Poetry Project. Read another poem from the journal, see the beautiful artwork, and find out how you can order your own copy! We look forward to updating you soon about our Drums for Peace pilot program which is going strong at Germantown High School and the Teens United Performing Arts Project, now in its third year and full of talented, inspired and energetic teens who have amazing stories to tell. Thank you for all you do to hold open the world's door for others and for all you do to empower and nurture the rich, creative spirits in our community. In the spirit of peace and possibility, Susan Teegen-Case Arts & Spirituality Center Helps Teens at Community Education Partners to Make Connections Between Rap and Poetry
Last spring, Pam Hooks and Cathy Cohen created a new poetry program at Community Education Partners (CEP), a charter high school in North Philadelphia. CEP works in partnership with the Philadelphia Public School system to help serve low performing students. Their mission is to “provide students with a new beginning and get them back on track in a safe, disciplined and supportive environment.”
With the help of Janelle Harris and other school counselors, Pam and Cathy met frequently with members of a student club called F.L.O.W., “For the Love of Wisdom.” Workshops involved introducing the craft of poetry, nurturing students’ own poems, and making connections to “rap”, a form already popular in the school. To everyone’s excitement, Pam helped these young poets record their work on CD. CEP is filled with talented poets, both students and teachers, and soon Pam and Cathy couldn't walk down the halls without someone coming over to recite their own work. Fabulous poems were showcased at a year end poetry “slam” in June, and some appear in IYPP’s most recent journal, "Hold Open the World's Door" (which is available for purchase through our website at by clicking here).
This year IYPP will expand CEP’s program by adding more frequent workshops and training teachers to use poetry in their own classrooms. Check out a poem from this collaboration: My hair is dark like a cave, -Juray (Ray Ray) There is a Hero Among Us!
Congratulations to Huda Aziz, one of 21 individual students who received this year’s “Young Heroes Award” at the National Liberty Museum on August 15. Huda, who graduated from Conestoga High School and will enter George Washington University this fall, has participated in IYPP workshops for the last five years at the Islamic Society of Greater Valley Forge. Her beautiful poems express tolerance for others and concern for the planet. Huda founded a club for interfaith and intercultural understanding, and helped create a performance night at her high school that featured Southeast Asian culture. We are very proud and know that her leadership skills will serve her well as she begins her new college adventure.
The Healing Poem Tired hands Spiritual Autobiography through the Arts: A Partnership between the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia and the Interfaith Youth Poetry Project
As many of you know, we have the privilege of sharing programs and office space with the Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia. The Spiritual Autobiography workshop was one such program on which we collaborated this past summer. IYPP's Cathy Cohen joined with Margie Scharf in leading a spiritual autobiography workshop for teenage girls, most of whom participated in the interfaith service learning project that Margie directs, called Walking the Walk: Values in Action. This project, which runs throughout the school year, offers students from different faiths and congregations the opportunity to learn about each other's traditions and faiths, while putting values into action through public service. In response to students’ desire to continue learning about each other over the summer, a series of additional workshops were offered.
In weekly sessions, 10-12 high school aged girls created paintings, poems, and memoirs that explored their spiritual life experiences. They discussed different aspects of spiritual life, including rituals, prayers, individual experiences, and a relationship to the natural world. They shared their artwork with each other, and practiced listening deeply and carefully to each other without judgment, creating a safe space in which all could share. The students created their own yearbook to showcase their talent, called “Spirit of the Soul.”
Following is a poem from their yearbook: Water, Water, Water Soothing music that captures our souls, By Remah and Claire Thomas McSorley Joins Staff as Managing DirectorThomas McSorley is the new Managing Director at the Arts & Spirituality Center. His bio is posted online (click here for bio), and so that you could get to know Thomas better we include an interview asking him questions about his career, his interests and what brought him to the Arts & Spirituality Center. We invite you to get to know Thomas as well and ask him questions of your own! Why the Arts & Spirituality Center? My career has been dedicated to various causes that I felt could inspire people, improve lives and change the world. One of things that I know for certain is that we are in an age when people have a need to be connected to something greater than themselves, that we want to feel connected, that we’re tired of hate, violence and vengeance and, I think, we’re not so sure that we are leaving the world in better shape for those who will come after us. I believe that the arts have the potential to connect each of us, in our own way, to something greater; to allow us to create from within; to connect to our soul and share our spirit. This is at the core of Arts & Spirituality Center’s mission and I wanted to play a part. Building relationships among stakeholders and constituents to provide for the financial needs of the organization now and in the future is my primary mission. With over 20 years of nonprofit management experience, especially in the areas of communications and fundraising/development, I bring a broad and deep perspective to my work for this organization. What do you hope to accomplish in the coming year with the Arts and Spirituality Center? • Increase the donor base What brought you to Philadelphia? Are you new to the area? If so, what are you looking forward to exploring? I was born and raised in Philadelphia but have not lived here for 30 years. My family still resides in the area and after the deaths of both of my parents a few years ago, I felt the need to be more closely connected with my family. Plus, my son decided to transfer to Temple University and this presented me with an opportunity to be close to him as well. Hobbies, interests? What do you like to do on the weekend? My most favorite thing to do is to spend time with my son. Beyond that, I entertain myself by reading, taking walks, watching movies, listening to music, and traveling. I renew myself with meditation, connecting with friends and family and by being grateful for my life and my place in this world. Pam Wat Joins Staff as Program Consultant
Pam Wat has joined the Arts & Spirituality Center for six months as the Program Consultant, providing support for the programs and also developing materials for the organization. Read more about Pam in her bio (click here for bio). As with Tom, we have included an interview and invite you to introduce yourself to Pam and ask her questions of your own! What interests and/or experiences do you bring to the Arts & Spirituality Center that you are particularly enthusiastic about sharing? I have academic and professional experience in both art and spirituality/religion and am excited to see how my time with the Arts & Spirituality Center unfolds in the coming months. I appreciate the opportunity to use my diverse background in the arts, spirituality and nonprofit administration in one organization. What do you hope to accomplish in the coming year with the Arts and Spirituality Center? I am working on updating the website, strengthening our newer programs and supporting our ongoing programs and helping to address marketing needs. What brought you to Philadelphia? Are you new to the area? If so, what are you looking forward to exploring? I was born and raised in DE and then moved to the San Francisco Bay Area where I lived for ten years. Last year I moved back to the east coast to be closer to my family and to enroll in a chaplain training program at Christiana Hospital in Delaware. I am enjoying learning about the Philadelphia arts scene and finding my way around the local galleries and theatres. Hobbies, interests? What do you like to do on the weekend? Other than going to concerts, theatre/dance performance and art galleries, I like to run, hike, read and make art. I also dance and work for a dance studio in Chadds Ford. 2006 IYPP Journal "Hold Open the World's Door" is Now AvailablePoetry is... Poetry is changing lives with your words. -Alysha For $5 you can get your very own journal and experience the wealth of creativity that emerged from both the individual experiences and the meaningful partnerships of youth from many different faiths, ethnicities, economic groups and backgrounds. Click here to learn more on how to order your issue of "Hold Open the World's Door." AnnouncementVic Compher, filmmaker and Arts & Spirituality Center board member, will premier his film, "Peace of the Elders" on Saturday, November 11 at 7:30 pm at Tabernacle United Church (3700 Chestnut Street). A discussion and reception will follow. “Peace of the Elders”, a 45 minute documentary, features the wisdom of 5 older adults, who have committed their lives to peacemaking, and the thoughtful insights of a number of older people, who were interviewed at a large peace March on Washington. Interviewees include a co-founder of a new public peace and justice high school, a Catholic sister who participated in historic Plowshare demonstrations, the great-great niece of Harriet Tubman, and a remarkable 90 year old Quaker couple. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to viccompher (at) comcast (dot) net or 215-854-8038. |
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