The Jam - "I learned today that there is no limit to what I can do!"
On Saturday, March 7, more than 100 students and teachers from New York's five boroughs gathered for World Savvy's Jam Session in Brooklyn Heights. The Jam is part of the Global Youth Media and Arts Program and began with a rousing performance by Senegalese hip-hop artist Baay Musa, who rapped about his own experience as an African immigrant, his struggles and his determination to succeed. Students carried Musa's inspirational message into small breakout workshops where they explored Immigration and Identity with professional filmmakers, dancers, theater-artists and musicians.
Workshops ranged from personal identity exploration through Indian music and dance to spoken-word reflections on the borders that young people encounter in their own lives. After two hours, groups returned to the auditorium full of nervous energy and excited to share their creative projects. Teachers exclaimed with pride as some of their shyest students broke out of their shells and took center stage, revealing aspects of their cultures, rallying against stereotypes and articulating their own American dreams.
On World Savvy surveys, 100% of participants said that the Jam Session gave them a better understanding of Immigration and Identity than they had before and that the Jam helped them see how Immigration and Identity effects them, their communities and the world. Students also shared more personal feedback; one World Savvy Columbian-American teen wrote, "I learned today that there is no limit to what we can do!"
