By Eleanor Milburn | Special Programs Manager
This November and December have been very exciting months at our program in Guinea where we welcomed international dance teachers Cassidy Giordano and Ssali Eugene as part of our “Train The Trainers” program.
MindLeaps' Train The Trainers enables MindLeaps to carry out its programming in more locations internationally. It also provides jobs for local dancers, providing a path to self-sufficiency and a successful future. This month,19 teachers and dancers from Guinea are learning the MindLeaps curriculum as part of our Train The Trainers program. The training is led by MindLeaps Rwanda teacher Ssali Eugene and American dancer Cassidy Giordano. Ssali, originally from Uganda, has been a dance teacher with MindLeaps Rwanda for the last five years. Cassidy is a graduate from University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a BFA in Dance and a concentration in Arts Therapy. She previously trained teachers and students as part of MindLeaps’ program in Rwanda.
Ssali and Cassidy have been training local artists in Guinea who are traditional dancers and hip hop dancers in the MindLeaps methodology based on contemporary and ballet techniques. These artists have also been studying the Measurement & Evaluation System used by MindLeaps to track changes in cognitive development and social-emotional learning in children through dance.
Ssali and Cassidy, alongside MindLeaps' lead Guinean dance teachers Salifou Camara and Ibrahima Camara, have also been rehearsing choreography with the students. You can see 9-year old student Abdallaye and his classmates performing in this video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1entT4H1es8onxtDRkgaAxjzfmqxiFCYj/view?usp=sharing
These children are leaping ahead in their development thanks to your support.
On behalf of all the students and staff of MindLeaps Guinea, we wish you a happy and healthy holiday season and New Year!
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