Kuumba and Creativity
“Kuumba” means to do as much as we can, any way we can, to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than when we inherited it.
“Social distancing bans on travel, and the closing of many businesses; COVID-19 has altered the way of many of our everyday lives. Exploring the mental impact that the coronavirus has had within my community, within this country, is of paramount importance. Said importance stems from a question that I have asked myself since the beginning of quarantine: how are we to maintain normal, healthy lives with so many restrictions?” (Summer Virtual Youth Program – Surviving COVID-19)
Youth and summer programs were faced with overwhelming challenges since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing bans on travel and the closing of many businesses; COVID-19 has altered many of our everyday lives. In-school, after-school, community-based, and summer programs were faced with the challenge of serving their young people during COVID-19.
The Challenge
In late spring, one of our main funders, Franklin County ADAMH, and a personal mentor approached me with a dilemma: how will we have a summer program when the governor and city prohibited any large in-person gathering. There was also the challenge of the digital desert in many urban communities. I told her I would get with a partner, and we would come up with an answer by the end of the week. So, I contacted Davina Ware, founder and CEO of Activate Creative Thinkers (A.C.T.), and a mastermind for solutions. As we contemplated options, we tapped into our wisdom and came up with an idea. Why not have a virtual camp with limited personal contact?
The challenge we faced, many of our youth may not have a reliable internet connection. Our solution: purchase tablets and provide internet service for the participants and thus eliminate the digital barrier. We were able to buy tablets and six months of service for a very reasonable price.
The Results
We served 40 youth in three different virtual camps: “Surviving COVID- 19”, “Leadership Camp” with athletics from the Westside of Columbus, and “Developing Seven Continents: Zone Beats” – an educational video for elementary-age children. The young people learned coping and resiliency skills that promoted mental health, the importance of social-emotional development, leadership in the community, as well as storytelling, basic editing, production, interviewing, and presentation skills.
The Conclusion
We do not always get to choose the circumstances dealt to us, but we all will have to adapt or become obsolete. This summer taught us a great deal about resilience. Our young people were tremendous this summer, worked hard on their projects, and we are proud of them. I agree with an article I read somewhere, “never let a good crisis go to waste.”
