About Bonds

The power of art to engage young people is the motivating force and the message of the Three Rivers Jenb Ensemble, a cultural education forum that combines traditional West African drumming, dancing and storytelling with community-based social justice education. The ensemble will visit the university Nov. 14 and 15 in conjunction with the U.S. Literacy Politics class taught by Nancy Welch, associate professor of English. Her students actively promote literacy in the Burlington community by serving as mentors for elementary, middle and high school students at the King Street Area Youth Program.

Literacy, says Welch, is not limited to reading and books. Music, dance, theatre and other art forms, which are often viewed as extracurricular elements of K-12 education, may be the most powerful way to engage students in communicative activities, she says. Consequently, Welchs students involve King Street students in activities that range from writing, storytelling and drawing to performing plays and designing their own Web pages.

That repertoire will expand as the Jenb Ensemble leads drumming and dance workshops for King Street youth, culminating with a joint Jenb Ensemble/King Street Teen Futures performance in the Living/Learning Fireplace Lounge on Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. The ensemble also will give a presentation and performance on Community Arts Education and Promoting Social Justice for UVM students and faculty on Friday at 1:30 p.m. in John Dewey Lounge.

Comprising members from ages eight to 50, the Jenb Ensemble fosters cultural enrichment in children and families through direct experience with the cultural and rhythmic history of a West African civilization. By working to understand the link between Malinke and African-American cultures, parents and children gain valuable insight to their own cultural identity. The group also goes on the road to perform and create collaborative relationships with community organizations.

The ensembles visit to Vermont is part of an exchange funded by the College of Arts and Sciences and a service-learning grant. Last year Welch and a colleague met with the Three Rivers staff at their home base in Fort Wayne, Indiana to begin discussions about linking community-based social services, such as King Street, with programs in community justice and social change.

One result of that exchange was to invite three ninth-grade students from King Street to spend a day at UVM earlier this month. Although King Street is within walking distance of UVM, Welch notes that few of the centers clients have ever been on campus, and that most see college as socially and economically remote.

Each ninth-grader spent the day with a UVM student; attended an honors economics class for a discussion on the wage gap between women and men in the workplace; and, without getting a sales pitch, got information about financial aid.

The idea, says Welch, is not only to provide students with access to higher education, but to actively involve them in university life. We want to open up a future for these kids, she says.

For more on the group, which is supported by the Fort Wayne Dance Collective, go to Three Rivers Jenb Ensemble.

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