Arusha Arts Initiative.

A group of actors, dancers and musicians from Juilliard School in New York will be travelling to Arusha in the second half of May to introduce students at the Umoja Youth Empowerment Center to the performing arts. The team of six or seven will lead a two-week workshop during which participants will become familiar with different artistic disciplines through a series of activities and games, before going on to devise their own performance. The American students will teach the Tanzanian students drama, dance and visual arts skills needed to express themselves creatively and independently. The group from Juilliard is now looking for funds to support the initiative, which will cost in the region of $15,000. For details see the Arusha Arts Initiative website.

Umoja is a non-governmental organisation based in Arusha that offers free education and vocational training to young people aged 14 to 26. The ultimate aim of the project is to empower students to bring about change in their communities.

The team from Juilliard has extensive experience of community outreach projects in the United States.