Concept of Project Book

The concept of Project Book is hard to pin down considering it is still in the embryonic stages. Some times lists are easier to comprehend than paragraphs, so a list of points are below:

1. The basic idea is that too often books are written about people, instead of by people. This phenomenon seems to be particularly true about books about groups of people or communities that happen to have largely low socio-economic status (Read: that happen not to have a lot of money or power).
2. Trenchtown, located in the city of Kingston, the capital of Jamaica is one such example. There is an enormous amount of perspective and knowledge, and remains largely ignored in the world of books.
3. Did you know that school is not public in Jamaica?
4. There is a school called Operation Restoration Christian School located in Rema, a community within Trenchtown. This schools strives to keep tuition as low as possible (about $100 US for the year), and provide scholarships, but still money can be a struggle. Money is not the only struggle, violence and tension fluctuate with the political tides, meaning that on occasion it is unsafe to hold school, or that students from certain communities cannot attend for days at a time for fear of crossing lines of conflict. For instance, summer school in 2007 was cancelled because of the approaching election. [Due to all of these factors Operation Restoration is hoping to move into a new phase of existence, as boarding school.]
5. Operation Restoration is a remedial school, for students that have some how been left behind by the regular school system (or the lack of public education). These students range from 12-17. Many of the students are incredibly bright but due to traumatic events in their life, or just trying to survive fell behind in academics. Problems students have at Operation Restoration range from untreated learning disabilities, untreated emotional problems, becoming orphans in their middle years, a lack of food, seeing no other alternatives but to join a gang at a young age, having witnessed some of the most gruesome acts of evil imaginable, and the community that they live in being generally abandoned economically and arguably politically.
6. The point is, that all of these students have some thing to share, they all have a knowledge or expertise about some thing. They all have unique life experiences worth hearing and sharing, voices that should be heard. Art and writing are great ways that they can share their knowledge, and realize the value of their own ideas.
7. Many students at Operation Restoration enter unable to read, and leave four or five years able to return to traditional schools, receive vocational training, or gain placements in the work force. This is a remarkable accomplishment and should be commended. What better way to mark your achievements in the academic world then to be able to hold a published creation of your own work in your hands? The goal of Project Book is that the graduating class of 2008 will be able to compile and receive a copy of their very own book.
8. The book would answer a question relating to social studies, questions on the table are: "What is Kingston?” “What is Trenchtown?” "Who am I? Who are we?”
9. While creating the book we plan to give students more opportunities in school to express themselves through visual arts, including photography, drawing, and painting. We also plan to give students more time to develop unity, discuss current events and situations in their community, and develop possible plans for the future, for themselves and their communities.
10. In order for all this to happen we will need financial support and resource donations, but also skills, input, encouragement, connections from all different sorts of contributions.

More ideas and information will be posted as the project develops. Hopefully the students will start this process on June 9^th, 2008. This leaves just under two months to prepare for the urgent things (the curriculum, art supplies, a big chunk of the funds).

I am also inviting every one who is interested in the Philadelphia area to learn more about Kingston and if comfortable pray with us on April 25^th, 2008. For more information about the pray meeting contact me at the email listed below.

A prayer meeting in Kingston or Jamaica would also make sense. Any one want to host or arrange?

I have also asked several people to review the curriculum, and for the Philadelphia area
reviewers to meet together to discuss. If this is some thing that interests you contact
annie.kopena@gmail.com The tentative date for the review meeting is May 16^th, 2008. Review meeting in Jamaica t.b.a. or arranged?