The All Children Learning Project

Our project is based around ideas of social responsibility and global citizenship. Our grade 11 visual arts class is partaking in a school-wide project called the All Children Learning Project. Our mandate is to raise awareness about inaccessibility to education in developing nations and raise funds for the Lekol Sen Trinite School in Jacmel Haiti, so that its students can receive access to quality education. The students are completely responsible for the planning, organization, control and delivery of the project from idea to final outcome.

As part of the All Children Learning Project, the students have partnered with the Haitian Education Society, an NGO based out of Calgary to help raise funds for Lekol Sen Trinite. Should our school be awarded this grant, our art students will be responsible for creating artwork to sell at a community wide fundraiser at the end of the project. Students will work with the art teacher to create large free-standing acrylic paintings based around ideas of social activism and Haitian culture.
All funds raised at the community fundraiser will go towards curriculum development and teacher training at the Lekol Sen Trinite School in Jacmel, Haiti. Melissa Keehn, who is the visual arts teacher at Minto High, has been in regular contact with the Haitian Education Society and is familiar with the current needs of the Lekol Sen Trinite School. She will be visiting Haiti this March to see the school and bring down supplies donated by students at Minto Memorial High School.

Update (June 20, 2013)

The All Children Learning Project was a HUGE success! The students worked on their Haitian-themed acrylic paintings for the past two months.... accumulating into an art show fundraiser a few weeks ago. We raised over $900 at the art show, with all the funds going to our partner school in Jacmel, Haiti.

The art show showcased all 17 acrylic paintings the students worked on, as well as additional work students created over the years. We had one student doing a 'live' painting, a community art project (where everyone was welcome to paint on the same canvas) which is going to be donated to our local library, food and much more. The show lasted 2 hours and we had a huge turnout from the community.

Update (June 20, 2013)

The students worked VERY hard on this project. It took up a huge majority of their time, both inside and out of the classroom. Students walked away from this project with a larger sense of global citizenship and social responsibility. They learnt about education issues in developing nations, Haitian culture and about the idea of social action: How action, or inaction, in one part of the world can create change in another part of the world.

As their teacher, I hope to travel to this school in Haiti within the next year. I have a painting created by one of the students who wishes their painting be brought and donated to our partner school. I hope to continue our partnership with Lekol Sen Trinite each year, continuing to build bridges and relationships between students and educators.

The project itself was both challenging and rewarding. For students who have never painted, it was challenging to learn about color blending and new shading techniques. It was rewarding in the sense that every single painting was sold in the silent auction, giving students a sense of accomplishment and pride in their work.

It was a wonderful project, which brought together ideas of student activism and the visual arts. I will, without a doubt, continue to apply this method of teaching in my classroom for years to come.