By Phoebe Nerone | Co-Founder
Hello Everyone,
This summer, I went to Vietnam to work with our staff and students and got to work alongside some amazing interns and fellow volunteers. It was another great summer for me, full of laughter and much fun with our wonderful students.
Starting in July we launched our new summer internship program for university-level girls, studying to become art teachers. We have wanted to start this program for several years and finally received some funding to pilot it. The idea behind this internship is to give up-and -coming artists and art teachers, the opportunity to work in a program like ours that uses the arts to empower girls, especially girls living in rural areas and who are ethnic minorities. Most of our students are members of the Raglai culture. So in July our art program welcomed three incredible student interns from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts, and one from Nha Trang University. Over the course of a month, they immersed themselves in both observing and teaching classes, and learning from our two outstanding art teachers, Trang and Lien. The interns not only observed different teaching techniques but also took initiative in preparing and leading their own classes and projects, giving them invaluable hands-on teaching experience.
Throughout their stay, the interns assisted in teaching at our three art class locations. All four of them quickly became an essential part of our community, creating lasting bonds with our teachers and students. Being able to attend some of the art classes alongside the students, I was able to observe the interns teach, where they brought positive energy and enthusiasm to every class. In each class, it was incredible to see how receptive our students were, and the artwork each student created was amazing. In addition, the interns were able to bring with them the ability to introduce new creative and accessible art projects as they thoughtfully selected activities relevant and meaningful to the girls in our program. The projects designed by the interns centered around themes of girls’ empowerment and well-being. Through creative expression, our students were able to explore and discuss important topics that may be hard to talk about one-on-one.
Beyond the classroom, the interns made the most of their time together. Whether it was exploring local cafes, sharing meals, or taking early morning trips to the beach, they built strong friendships. We were so happy to see these close-knit bonds evolve, and we hope that these friendships last for many years to come.
We are so happy to have had the interns join our art program for the summer. We believe this experience was both rewarding for not only them, but our staff, and especially our many young female students. We are so excited to see how these four young women blossom as their careers continue, and we are looking forward to recruiting the next round of interns starting this winter.
Thank you for your support of the arts, our girls, interns, and our teachers!
Phoebe
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