In Wednesday’s (8/17) Globe and Mail (Toronto), James Bradshaw writes, “A group of enterprising young Canadians is Kenya-bound in January, trying to help bring back what they fear the country has sorely lacked in recent years: arts education. Their project is the first for a new volunteer-driven initiative called Artbound, which was publicly launched Tuesday. It’s committed to putting arts back into global curricula by building dedicated arts schools that piggyback on the existing educational networks being built by Canadian charity Free The Children, run by Craig and Marc Kielburger. Already, those driving it are describing it as a potential Doctors Without Borders for arts education, with a made-in-Canada tag. … Artbound seeks to give the students an outlet to perform and to sell their works, both locally and online, with proceeds poured back into community programs that provide necessities such as clean water and health care. There will also be scholarships and support for students after graduation if they choose to pursue the arts. [Free The Children co-founder Jason] Dehni is adamant that Artbound will not export Canadian cultural values, but instead install a locally inspired curriculum.”
Posted August 18, 2010
