By DION MUCCIACITO

Picture this: a world of equality for all people, one with no cultural or political or economic barriers—one that embraces the uniqueness of each individual as something to be cherished, and celebrates our common humanity.

Brinson and Mucciacito (wearing caps, left to right) with camp participants Ongezwa Nyamtemba, Nwabisa Mahashe, and Unathi Ngcethe. (Photo by Abby Gerdts)

A group of Juilliard students and recent graduates dedicated to bringing this ideal a little closer to reality traveled to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, for a three-week period this past June and July, to initiate an Art-in-Action summer camp for impoverished youth. The camp—funded by a summer grant from the School—was the next stage of a project that began with a similar camp run by Juilliard students in Homestead, Fla., two years ago, based on the concept of using the arts as a tool to activate the creative voice and break down barriers that hold people back from their true potential. Working together under the acronym of CLAY (Community Leaders and Artistic Youth), the current team included four actors (J. Alex Brinson, Abby Gerdts, Mauricio Tafur Salgado, and me) and two dancers (Beth Konopka and Cindy Salgado). We held three camps, each lasting four days and consisting of about 22 children per camp. The ages of the kids ranged from 9 to 17. "These kids were amazing," says Brinson. "They were so ready to go. Everything we brought to them, in terms of teaching the fundamentals of the arts, they were so hungry to learn. And they were not afraid at all to bring up some hard topics in their work."

Drama, dance, and music workshops provided different avenues of expression for the kids, and allowed them to discover which art form attracted them the most. After the first day, the children would write in a journal on a focused topic that would encourage them to put their viewpoint into words. Then they were divided into groups of five to eight each, to discuss their journal writings and find ways to combine them all into a group project. Some children would write poetry (which they all seemed to have a talent for), while others wrote dramas (usually about AIDS or child abuse, issues that they dealt with on a daily basis) or wrote songs.

The children all seemed to have a distinct awareness of the history and politics of their people's struggle for freedom in their country. When asked who her favorite role model was, 13-year-old Soso cited Nelson Mandela, and went on to explain various moments within his life that were of historical importance.

Eleven years after the end of apartheid, the hierarchy of power is still entrenched in South Africa, as evident in how the land is disproportionately distributed. Vast amounts of countryside are owned by the minority white South Africans, while the majority black South Africans live by the millions in segregated townships called "locations"—which are ghetto-style settlements created by the apartheid government to control the black African population. Usually these communities were built close to factories, to provide a cheap labor force. The pollution from the factories amounts to a type of low-intensity warfare against these poor townships, resulting in birth defects and respiratory infections that plague the majority of the people.

The township communities are struggling to create a new society that has emerged from under the boot of oppression, but some of the inequities do not simply go away with a regime change. There is still massive unemployment, health issues that need to be addressed (including AIDS), and an educational system that remains unequal and segregated. There is much to be done, and it is this ongoing battleground that forms the backdrop that CLAY and the Ubuntu Educational Fund are working against.

The Ubuntu Educational Fund, founded in 1999, is a non-governmental organization based in Port Elizabeth that focuses its resources on health initiatives, youth education and empowerment, community building, and self-sufficiency projects. We discovered, in looking for a partnership with a local organization, that the Art-in-Action camp fit perfectly into their program and ideology. "They have already been working in the communities with the people, and we are just coming in alongside them and joining them in their struggle," observes Salgado. "We try to create a safe environment in which the children can play and create. And through this space comes that true spirit of creativity that the children have so brilliantly."

As the children found ways to fuse a broad range of ideas and talents into a piece to be shown at the end of camp, we counselors served as facilitators of the discussions, guiding when necessary with a bigger picture in mind. Extremely talented and disciplined, the children only needed a little encouragement and were ready to throw themselves into the process. The astounding focus and commitment they exhibited is the direct result of their inspiring teachers, who work in underfunded schools yet remain committed to empowering their students.

The resilience of these children and their commitment to a positive attitude about their future—beset as they are on all sides by things like AIDS, poverty, and unemployment—amazed us all. The selfless spirit in which the students created their pieces spoke of a communal sense beyond their years. Even the older students, who in America would usually have grown aloof and too cool to reach, became leaders and an inspiration to the younger students. They were among the most eager to give themselves to the process and trust the teachings, and their willingness to share created a safe space for everyone to create and try new avenues of expression.

We thought we would be the ones encouraging them, but their encouragement of each other was a large part of the process. "These kids believe that any thing is possible with hard work," says Brinson. "They demonstrated that to us every day, along with their willingness to believe in each other."

At the end of the three weeks, a showing of the students' work was held at the Ubuntu facility to give parents a chance to see what their children had been working on. Ubuntu's staff and educators facilitated the event and also took part in performing in it. President Banks Gwaxula of Ubuntu praised the children for their passionate commitment to positive thought and action through their art. "With what you are doing here," he told them, "you are changing the future, you are changing our community. Thank you."

And we students of Juilliard must thank them as well.

Dion Mucciacito is a second-year drama student.