Big Thought was selected by sponsor, Nokia, Inc., as the national partner for the U.S. component of their global life skills initiative, Make a Connection. In the United States, Make a Connection Thru Art is designed to give young adolescents an artistic outlet through which to express their political, social and economic impressions of the world. Each school site creates unique projects around a chosen theme weaving together the art, poetry, creative writing and photography created by the students. The stories created will tell the powerful, personal stories of today’s youth.

The program engages middle school students (11, 12 and 13-year olds), while offering them dynamic opportunities for interpersonal communication, creativity, and teamwork. Participating students come from a variety of backgrounds and neighborhoods, representative of each school involved. The program pilot took place in Irving, TX in the spring of 2004. Currently, schools in Irving and Keller are participating in the program.

Groups of students take part in a 10-day arts residency. All residencies are conducted by professional artist-educators: photojournalists, poets, playwrights, storytellers, and videographers. Big Thought works closely with educators at each residency location to design a residency program that will fit best into the structure of the school or organization.

A project theme is selected by the various teen groups. This approach empowers the children to articulate what issue is of central importance to them (parents/family, war, drugs, racism, peace, etc.). The theme serves as a launching pad for young teens to describe the world around them as they see it today, and envision the world as they’d like it to be. Each site addresses a different focus, or “lens” through which the children will address the common theme.

The students artwork and creative writing can be viewed online at www.makeaconnectionthruart.org.

For more information about MACTA, please contact Lisa Schmidt.