“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Pablo Picasso
AYADINA and the ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAM
“JOURNEY TO WELLBEING”
Journey to Wellbeing Performance
In September 2023 Ayadina began its eight-month “Journey to Wellbeing” through the arts made possible by the generous support of Unesco through the Beryt Project funded by the World Bank. Acknowledged also is the technical support received from Live, Love, Lebanon. At the time, the center had 138 participants. Throughout the year, the number of beneficiaries of the AEP at Ayadina grew to 155. The grand finale performance, which took place at the Sin el Fil Municipality auditorium on April 20th was nothing short of outstanding and spectacular. The performance included presentations by over ninety participants from the following Arts: Visual Art, Zumba, Derbake, Guitar, Theater, Ballet, and Hip Hop. Although not part of the presentation on April 20th, Ayadina also ventured into other artistic domains that included classes in Piano and Gymnastics. The show was thoroughly enjoyed by the performers, the facilitators, and the audience. The students did their best and showcased unbelievable talent. Plans and a proposal are underway to have the performance presented at AUB Assembly Hall, and maybe even to students in other schools in the area, as it is definitely something worth sharing and celebrating. Congratulations and “chapeau bas” to Ayadina. The children not only progressed in their abilities in specific arts but their wellbeing was also nurtured and enhanced. The classroom environment is propelled by passion, dedication, and joy. With these elements as a constant, wellbeing is naturally and consistently addressed.
Marcel Ghosn, a Lebanese director, actor, writer, and producer was called upon by Ayadina in February to assist with the production of the “Journey to Wellbeing” performance. He shared his input and expertise throughout the final months, and during the rehearsals and performance.
Talent Scouts
An important part of life at Ayadina is recognizing, supporting, promoting, and celebrating students who show significant talent in specific areas of the arts. This was clear and evident during the performance as opportunity was given for solo presentations. Clarita Serouji, a fairly new guitar student at Ayadina, revealed her singing talent as she sang Ed Sheeran’s song, “I found a girl beautiful and sweet”. The audience response was mesmerizing as they turned on their cell phone flashlights and accompanied her song with waves of light. Fadi Saliba, aka “Flying Fingers”, is a magician when it comes to playing the Derbake. He shared a freestyle creation.
Rosa Rita Oundjian, a Visual Arts student at Ayadina for the past seven years, offered one of her paintings entitled, “A Lebanese Woman” to the Unesco representative as a token of gratitude and appreciation for their support. Jamil Mandas and his son, Charbel played a duet; Jamil on the oriental piano and Charbel played the derbake. Jamil was a former student at Ayadina and was supported in his music studies. Now his son is a derbake student at the center. This is one example of how Ayadina has a fascinating history and values its beneficiaries.
Calligraphy workshop
On Wednesday, February 28th, Rabih Yehya and Rayanne Raidi from BEMA (Beirut Museum of Art) presented an intriguing and captivating calligraphy workshop to ten Ayadina students. The students learned about the history of Arabic calligraphy and had the opportunity to experiment with different techniques. The three-hour workshop was so fascinating, that even the Administrative Assistant, Marianne Hmedeh, joined in for a time.
Volunteers
Ayadina is fortunate to have volunteers who help in various areas: Soup Kitchen, Visual Arts, outings, final performances. We continue to solicit for individuals who are ready to give time, expertise, or donations.
Teacher’s Day
Ayadina paid tribute to its facilitators on March 8th, Teacher’s Day, by offering them a gift from the heart: a beautiful plant, a framed photo of them in action with their students, and a personalized card with words of appreciation. The participants were excited to take a photo with their facilitator and hugs were shared by all. We took joy in celebrating our passionate, dedicated facilitators.
Mother’s Day Gift
Ayadina mothers were offered a unique gift from Ayadina to help them celebrate their special day on March 21 and to let them know how much they are valued and appreciated. The mothers were free to join a class of their choice: Zumba, Oriental Dance, Crocheting, or Visual Arts. They had fun and left feeling happy to have participated in this memorable gift. We are grateful to the experts, Nina Abou Faysal, Maral Manis, Marwa Hmedeh, and Joumana Srouji Nghaiwy, who willingly shared their time to provide this opportunity for the Ayadina Mothers.
Global Compact
As members of the UN Global Compact, Ayadina submitted a report explaining how they are addressing the four pillars connected to the UN Global Compact and how they are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Food Aid Initiatives for Seniors
In April 2023, Ayadina was able to provide food support for sixty seniors and their families. A year later, Ayadina is now providing home cooked meals for nearly one hundred seniors and their families. This initiative is possible through kind donations of goods, cash, but especially time given by volunteers to prepare the food. Our gratitude and appreciation for the support and help are never-ending.
The amount of food offered to the seniors and families in our community doubled at the beginning of April as Father Hani Tawk offered to share cooked meals from Mary’s Kitchen, “”مطبخ مريم.
The highlight of this term’s acts of compassion and care was providing our seniors with a scrumptious celebratory Mother’s Day lunch. The seniors came to the center to not only enjoy a wonderful meal catered by Karamel, but also to socialize, sing, and dance. Jamil Mandas played wonderful oriental piano music throughout the three hours. Plenty of fun was had by all. Storytelling, reminiscing, joking, and laughing added extra entertainment and joy to the time together.
As Ayadina enters its third cycle of this year, emotions are positive and energy is high following the enormous success of the “Journey to Wellbeing” performance. New, giant steps will be taken to continue our Arts Education Program.
