November 14, 2014Comments are off for this post.

NAASAP Visit with Frank Waln and Micco Sampson

1

On Tuesday, November 4th, the American Indian Student Union of University of Maryland College Park sponsored a Frank Waln concert in celebration of National American Indian Heritage Month. I asked if it would be possible for us to bring some of our Baltimore City Title VII Indian Education students (all members of NAASAP) to the concert. Not only were we invited to the concert, we were also invited to eat lunch with Frank and company earlier in the day at Busboys and Poets in Hyattsville.

Frank is a friend of mine. We first met through a First People's Fund professional development training in 2012 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His career has really taken off since that time. He is an inspiration to Native people across the land. He is an award winning Hip Hop Artist and was recently showcased by MTV in a series called "Rebel Music" which was released just yesterday.

Frank is from the Rosebud Reservation and he is Sicangu Lakota. He was valedictorian of his high school class, a Gates scholar and he is a recent graduate of Columbia College in Chicago. We also got to visit with one of Frank's best friends/collaborators, Lumhe "Micco" Sampson, son of actor Will Sampson, who is a world class dancer. Lumhe is Seneca, Muskogee and Creek.

Although Baltimore's Title VII Program has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with UMD through the Office of Multiethnic Student Education (OMSE), this particular experience has been one of the most meaningful because our students had the opportunity to truly interact with other young Native leaders. Not only did they get to spend time with Frank and Micco, they got to spend time with members of the UMD American Indian Student Union (and the president is Lumbee, like them). They were welcomed and engaged by everyone we met. They asked Frank about different things, like how he started rapping, what it's like being a professional artist, etc. He was extremely gracious, kind and as always, down to earth. He and Micco gave an AMAZING performance. The girls are still talking about it. The American Indian Student Union gave them all t-shirts, which Frank and Micco autographed. That's what's up.

2

May 4, 2013Comments are off for this post.

Ancestry Celebrated

NAASAP in Patterson Park

NAASAP in Patterson Park

Bruun Studios is pleased to partner with the Native American After School Art Program (NAASAP), PRAISE College Readiness Program (PCRP), and Youth Resiliency Institute (YRI) on an event that explores the importance of our ancestors in shaping who we are today.

Saturday, May 18, 2-4pm
Bruun Studios
302 E. Federal Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

RSVP required by May 16

Art, music, and words from young people participating in programs that understand the value and importance of celebrating our connections to our ancestors. Symbolic abstract paintings by Peter Bruun with art by young people from NAASAP and participation of PCRP -- and at 3:30pm, YRI presents a youth performance. Ancestry Celebrated includes refreshments and light snacks.

July 7, 2012Comments are off for this post.

The Native American After School Art Program

Mission

The Native American After School Art Program (NAASAP) unites Native American youth and assists them in developing skills and perspectives that will result in an increased knowledge and sense of pride in their cultural identity. Through community arts programming, youth will become self-empowered to effect positive change in their own lives and in the Native American community of Baltimore.

Purpose

The Native American After School Art Program (NAASAP) exists to provide a safe, structured, environment for Baltimore’s Native youth to assemble themselves together. NAASAP programming presents Art as a vehicle for young people to address issues that are important to them. NAASAP will lift up the voices of Baltimore’s Native American youth as they are empowered to work creatively toward real goals. Their sense of purpose, efficacy and ownership of their community will grow in this process.

We will pursue the following goals in order to move towards accomplishing our mission and purpose:

  • Create a safe, positive, nurturing, learning environment
  • Emphasize the crucial connection between knowledge and pride in one’s heritage, one’s sense of self-identity and one’s aptitude for success
  • Facilitate youth’s development of skills through experiential learning that will   benefit them both in the classroom and in their lives outside of school
  • Make strong use of the arts in all aspects of programming
  • Assist youth in developing a sense of ownership, citizenship, efficacy and the importance of working for positive change in their community
  • Help facilitate a youth-run process of program planning and implementation
  • Engage youth in community asset mapping to educate them about what resources are available to them as community members
  • Foster intergenerational working relationships between different age groups of young people; young people and the Native American Senior Citizens in all aspects of programming
  • Continue Native cultural and traditional practice
  • Share our stories as Native people
  • Practice consensus building
  • Promote nutrition and wellness through cooking and gardening
  • Promote “green” practices as Native stewards of the earth