THE world is in riot now. Brexit, the Turkish coup and its aftermath, episodic massacres in France, Turkey, Tunisia. Thousands of boat people are driven by the conviction that life perishing in the ocean wave or being captive in a refugee camp for years is better than life as it is in their home country.
Interesting that a series of summer camps coming up in John’s Square has the mission to CONNECT.
Arts page hears from Monica Spencer of The GAFF, the performance arts hub operating out of Cecil Street, of internationally inclusive camps being run in conjunction with Garryowen Community Development Project – a unit already committed to ‘strengthening and caring for our community’.
Check out this website page for its smart chops: www.garryowencdp.com/what-we-offer/
Running on July dates Monday 25 to Thursday 28 out of Dance Limerick, the camps’ age group targeted is 12 to 15 year olds to engage in dance, games, music and storytelling. It’s a chance to participate through creative skills and be led by the best, dance artist Laura Murphy and music producer John Lillis of The Rusangano Family and MynameisjOhn.
There’s more. A visit to CONNECT will be made by Brian Mooney, a US based educator whose philosophy around the use of music in schools has become legendary. Rapper Kendrick Lamar has gone to his class.
It is clear that this Summer exercise really is for all peoples as “we are targeting families from some of the new communities in the city. So far [July 11], we have two Syrian girls and one African girl from Knockalisheen. We hope to have the group split 50/50 between traditional and new communities to Limerick”.
CONNECT is produced by The Gaff with support from JP McManus Benevolent Fund.
Express your interest by email to theatreperformancehub@gmail.com or from Garryowen CDP to suzi@garryowencdp.com; tel. 085-833 1899.
