DIVAS for Social Justice Launches Virtual Programming To Actualize Social Action Project

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DIVAS (Digital Interactive Visual Arts Sciences) for Social Justice will launch two virtual STEAM based programs at P.S 156 and P.S 132 this week. The virtual after-school programs are supported by Councilman Donovan Richards and the Department of Cultural Affairs.

The STEAM for Social Change program empowers and trains youth in STEAM based activities to provide community solutions through technology. Participants in the  elementary program will serve as Virtual Designers of The Laurelton Community Garden Of Resilience. Participants will be responsible for designing the build out of the community garden virtually.

The actual garden is located at : 179-18 145th Drive.  For the past two years, community residents have successfully taken an abandoned lot in Laurelton/Springfield Gardens and acquired a license with Greenthumb/Department of Parks & Recreation to steward a community garden. As the license agreement was executed, there was the onset of COVID-19. The global pandemic has paused the production of the Operations Department of Parks & Recreation to offer onsite assistance.

Students will participate in the program remotely due to the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19. DIVAS for Social Justice will be co-facilitating the program with Department Of Education Teachers : Elizabeth Hargrove (P.S. 156), Aria Moore-Lindsay, Kathleen Pierre-Buggs (P.S 132). In order to ensure the program is interactive and developing civic engagement in the participants, DIVAS will be providing:

  • Each participant will have a “STEAM kit” delivered to their home (contactless)  that will contain craft supplies and Virtual Reality (VR) Cardboard Headset. Providing the VR Headset will allow students to experience the progression of the community garden.
  • Using a 360 degree camera, adult facilitators of the program will fulfill the design ideas of participants while social distancing. The 360 degree footage will be uploaded to Google Classroom where participants can download the footage and experience the progression of the garden through virtual technology.
  • Participants will be given incentives to keep them engaged which include participating in  a VR Headset Design Contest emphasizing the theme of the community garden. The winning design will be awarded an Amazon gift card.
  • DIVAS for Social Justice will be utilizing engineering lessons from the Department Of Design and Construction’s STEAM Curriculum to design an online gallery wall for the garden with the help of the students understanding foundations and structures.

If community residents are interested in helping fulfill the work of our virtual designers in real time, please contact: diva4justice@gmail.com. No students will be allowed on site at the actual garden .  We are in need of carpenters, gardeners, handy individuals, people who care. All volunteers will be required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE ) and practice social distance while in the garden space.  We are looking for 3-5 volunteers at most to be in the garden space.

 

 

 

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Clarisa James
Clarisa James is the Co-Founder/Executive Director of DIVAS (Digital Interactive Visual Arts Sciences) for Social Justice. For the past seven years DIVAS has provided free or sliding scale technology training to youth in underserved communities in Central Brooklyn and Southeast Queens. Ms. James has been dedicated to youth development work for the past 15years in the roles of Teaching Artist, After School Director, Curriculum Specialist and artist. Her life's work encompasses empowering youth in underserved communities to use technology for social change and think critically about the issues that are affecting them most. For the past seven years Ms. James has facilitated workshops that help youth develop multimedia projects around environmental justice, housing, leadership development and reproductive justice. Ms. James holds an MFA in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College's Film & Media Department. In addition to DIVAS for Social Justice, Ms. James currently serves on the advisory board of the Children’s Cabinet, Office of the Deputy Mayor Strategic Policy Initiatives at City Hall. Clarisa James is full of gratitude to her parents for providing such a wonderful upbringing and having the foresight to move into the community of Laurelton in the early 1970's. Clarisa is proud to be a daughter of Laurelton.