“Condemning people who fled persecution to stagnate in confinement for much of the remainder of their lives is unnecessary, wasteful, hypocritical, counterproductive and morally unacceptable.”—Merrill Smith, U.S. Committee for Refugees

PROJECTS

“Condemning people who fled persecution to stagnate in confinement for much of the remainder of their lives is unnecessary, wasteful, hypocritical, counterproductive and morally unacceptable.”—Merrill Smith, U.S. Committee for Refugees

Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand
In 2003, in partnership with the IRC, ART’s pilot program selected and trained adults in two Burmese refugee camps in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand, to teach traditional Burmese dances, songs, folklore and music.  ART’s staff and the elder refugees worked side by side with over 600 youth teaching them to make and play traditional Burmese musical instruments. Due to the overwhelmingly positive response from the refugee community, the IRC integrated these activities into its existing programs, and provided the costumes and materials for the musical instruments. ART returned to the camps in January and February 2004 to expand its program which continue to operate today.  The program is now run exclusively by the refugees and has become self-sustainable.

Bogotá, Colombia
In August, 2005, A.R.T. partnered with Fundacion Nuevo Retiro, Red de Solidaridad Social and the Universidad de los Andes to implement an ongoing community arts program in barrio Tintalito, Bogota, Colombia. Over 100 community members participated in the program, with two-hour classes being held four days a week in music, songs, stories/folklore and handicrafts. The University assigned students from the Anthropology, Psychology, Literature and Fine Arts departments to help A.R.T. to institute and then administer and evaluate the program; the students earn academic credit for this work. They have also developed a manual to train the next set of University students so that the program can be easily replicated throughout Colombia. The program continues today.

Carmen de Viboral, Antioquia, Colombia
In April 2007, A.R.T. expanded into Carmen de Viboral, a rural community outside Medellín, Colombia. This area of Colombia has one of the highest number of child soldiers. A.R.T. has partnered with the International Organization for Migration (OIM) to create a community after-school program with the hope of keeping children from joining or being taken into armed forces.

ART’s Expansion in Colombia
Colombia has the world's second largest internal refugee population - over 3 million displaced persons, forced from their rural mountain homes by drug lords, paramilitaries and guerrillas. A.R.T. is expanding its programs throughout the country to help rebuild these communities.

ART’s Expansion in the United States
A.R.T. has just expanded into the United States, where, in partnership with Yale University and the Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, we will be working with resettled refugees in New Haven, Connecticut.

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