2020 – 2021
Global Reach & Impact
These are just a few of the partnerships we’ve had the privilege of fostering during the past year, and we look forward to continuing our work with them in the upcoming year!
Uganda
We value our close, long standing partnership with Tender Talents (TT), a school offering a rigorous academic curriculum with special arts training in cultural arts. A high proportion of TT’s students have lost parents and other family members to AIDS, some come from single-parent families, others are refugees.
This year, despite the pandemic, TT participated in 4 ArtLink classes. CC is supporting them in creating a musical play and workshop for US school audiences highlighting the legacy of slavery and colonization in Uganda.
Students at Tender Talents
Kenya
A valued partnership with KenyaConnect (KC) supported and enabled our ArtLink program to run successfully this year. Despite the school lockdown, KC embraced the opportunity to join CC’s pilot program: LifeLines: A Global Environmental Dialogue with peers in Guatemala and USA. Because an entire class of 20 high school students insisted on participating, KC ran the virtual exchange workshops from outside 3 staff homes.
Students in Kenya during Video Conference
India
During the lockdown, students and teachers from Educon International, our ArtLink partner school, were the first to participate in an ArtLink Zoom IVC directly from their homes. And just a week ago, despite the current COVID surge in India, Educon’s Principal was the first to sign up for five ArtLink classes for next year’s ArtLink program.
April 15, 2021
“It was wonderful to work with you all. Looking forward to the next academic session. Thanks for the continuous support. We always feel proud & privileged to be associated with Creative Connections. Stay Safe & Healthy.”
– Mrs Vinita Khaladkar, Principal
Ode to Nature, Yedha
Nepal
Despite a serious COVID surge in Nepal, Mandala Theatre’s dedication and commitment to run eight 2 ½ hour Cultural Heritage Workshops with local CT students was remarkable. In fact, as a nationwide lockdown loomed, educators and students ran the last workshop from their individual homes (in Nepal) on the last day before some of them fled Kathmandu to the safety of their family villages.
Students in Nepal during virtual workshop
Russia
Teachers and students at our longstanding (25 years!) partner schools in Russia continued to eagerly connect though the ArtLink program and via virtual exchange on Zoom. Despite school lockdowns and strained political relations with the USA, we were heartened to see the Russian student’s warmth, openness and engagement with USA students.
Virtual exchange Russia & USA
Jordan
Through our partnership with INJAZ in Amman, Jordan we connected with The Khalda School and ran our ArtLink Program successfully despite unrest and lockdowns. In fact, Khalda was the second international school to apply for next year’s ArtLink program.
April 23, 2021
“It was a challenging year here, too. However, we hope that next year will be better and students return to their schools. I always feel privileged that I got the chance to work with you all. Many great years for you all to come In Sha’a Allah.”
– Ms. Lina Kamal Qashou’
Students at Khalda School
Guatemala
Guatemalan teachers have actively participated in both RainForest ArtLink and 2021 LifeLines – Global Environmental Dialog despite the current countrywide school lockdown. For the LifeLines IVCs, the Guatemalan students have participated using their family’s, or borrowed, mobile phones. A teacher’s network was established on a mobile app called, WhatsApp. Educators are active and connected!
Students in Guatemala participate in LifeLines
USA
In this year of massive school disruptions due to COVID-19, we found that participating teachers and students across the board were grateful for the ArtLink program.
May 5, 2021 – From an ArtLink Teacher in Chicago, IL
“The isolation many of our students have felt due to the pandemic was lessened significantly due to the chance to connect with another group of students on the other side of the globe. The artwork shared with us by our partner class in Uganda opened a whole new world for my students, helping them to understand that, in the words of Maya Angelou, “we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” The world is a bit smaller and a more familiar place for my students because of their participation in the ArtLink program.”
– Ms. Barbara Krantz
Students for a sponsored class in Bridgeport, CT