HOME MAGAZINES EVENTS ABOUT US CONTACT US SIGN UP
desi mideast asia latin africana
Page Title Graphic

« Previous 1 2 1 2 Next »

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

When you plant a seed, you cannot just abandon the soil. You must nurture it and tend to the seed so that it will grow into a beautiful and flourishing blossom. At Al-Bustan – ‘The Garden’ – they do just that. This non-profit organization is dedicated to educating youth about the Arabic language and culture through well thought-out contact with the language, art, architecture, music, dance, and natural atmosphere of the Arab world, As the founder and president of Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, Hazami Sayed has been in charge of developing and organizing diverse projects to nurture the potential latent within youth. Through the promotion of diversity, this organization has proven that a garden is more beautiful when it includes flowers of different colors, shapes, and sizes. This week, allow the MidEastConnect to take you away from this busy world by stepping into Al-Bustan, Stop and smell the roses, enjoy the harmony of the hummingbirds, and learn more about culture, all in this week’s Non-Profit Spotlight.

Non-Profit

Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

Founded

January 2003

Website

www.albustanseeds.org

Name

Hazami Sayed, President and Founder

Current residence

Philadelphia, PA

Ethnicity

Arab-American

About the non-profit

The mission of Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture is to educate children and youth about the Arabic language and culture through structured exposure to the language, art, architecture, music, dance, and natural environment of the Arab world. “Al-Bustan”, Arabic for “The Garden”, also strives to promote understanding and respect both within the diverse community of Arab-American children and youth and among children and youth of various ethnic, religious, and socio- economic backgrounds.

Most notable milestones

Launched Al-Bustan Camp four years ago. The camp has grown to include young campers as well as teenage and post-college counselors. . . .Established 3 years ago a master/apprenticeship in Arabic percussion for 10 to 15 year old children of diverse backgrounds. . . .Supported an afterschool program for Arab-American high school students. . . . Developed several youth produced videos exploring aspects of culture and identity. . . Piloted this year a series of music/dance/drama workshops culminating in school performances. . . And hired our first part-time paid staff in fall 2005.

What’s the niche?

Providing arts-based thematically integrated programming, in a fun and enriching way, for children and youth of Arab and non-Arab heritage.

Main Objectives

  • supporting the Arab-American community’s pursuit and affirmation of its cultural identity within American society
  • exposing and educating children and youth, of Arab and non- Arab heritage, to the language and culture of the Arab world
  • using a common language and cultural heritage to bring together the diverse community of Arab-American children and youth
  • supporting the development of Arab-American youth leadership by empowering youth with a deeper knowledge of their cultural heritage and history and creating opportunities for greater educational engagement and academic achievement
  • making the Arabic language and culture accessible to a wider audience of children and youth and their home communities in an effort to promote cross-cultural awareness and exchange.

What’s in store for the future?

Building upon and strengthening our ongoing programs and seeking to implement new initiatives.

Who would you like to be contacted by?

Families, educators, artists and anyone else interested in participating in or contributing to our programs; and companies/businesses interested in donating or offering employee-matching funds to support our organization.

« Previous 1 2 1 2 Next »

Guiding principle of the organization

Our five main objectives are:

  • supporting the Arab-American community’s pursuit and affirmation of its cultural identity within American society
  • exposing and educating youth, of Arab and non-Arab heritage, to the language and culture of the Arab world
  • using a common language and cultural heritage to bring together the diverse community of Arab-American youth
  • supporting the development of Arab-American youth leadership by empowering youth with a deeper knowledge of their cultural heritage and history and creating opportunities for greater educational engagement and academic achievement
  • making the Arabic language and culture accessible to a wider audience of youth and their home communities in an effort to promote cross-cultural awareness and exchange.

Yardstick of success

Our ability each year to continue with and to develop initiatives that encompass the objectives of the organization. Each initiative will have its own success criteria based on its stated goals and on feedback from children, parents, teachers and others. Continued institutional co-sponsorship, ability to expand foundation support while diversifying funding, and maintaining financial stability are key measures.

Goal yet to be achieved

Raising enough funds to develop the organizational capacity to manage and implement programming that furthers our objectives.

Best practical advice

Imagine, be visionary, take some risks. . . without losing sight of your mission and accessible resources.

Supportive words from a family member or friend on your venture

Comments on Al-Bustan Camp:

“I liked this camp because I learned more Arabic and can use it when I go to Morocco.” –Yusuf, 7-year old returning camper.

“There”s a great sense of community in the camp and it’s really nice to come together and focus on the beauty of Arab culture versus all the stuff that we see in the media. . . No matter who you are, you can be yourself here.” — Millan, 17-yr old counselor

“As an immigrant whose kids don’t speak the language on a daily basis and aren’t exposed to the culture, it means a lot when my sons come home and sing a traditional song, or tell me what they learned about the souk or Ibn Battuta. . . I think they will remember these things forever.” — Khalil, parent of returning camper and counselor.

Mentor

Charon Battles — a Program Director at the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts — who has helped us identify and pursue funding opportunities for organizational development. Asian Arts Initiative — a local non-profit organization that grew over the past ten years to become an established arts organization, providing a cultural and political voice for the Asian-American community in Philadelphia.

What motivated the people who started the organization?

Personal motivations for the founder, Hazami, to provide her young boys an opportunity use the Arabic language with other kids in America, for them to have the Arabic culture be a part of their everyday life, to be equally comfortable when traveling back and forth to the Arab region.

What keeps your organization motivated today?

Collaborating with various educators and artists. . . Interactions and positive feedback from the children and youth and their parents — desire to continue to seek ways to touch peoples’ lives in some significant way, to provide a meaningful way for people of diverse backgrounds to interact on a personal human level. . .

What do people in the organization like best about it?

That we have developed a unique, innovative model for educational programming in the US related to Arab culture. Our programs have elicited deeply transformative experiences for participants and highly enthusiastic audience responses.

What do people in the organization like least about it?

Our programming is ahead of our organizational development that so much depends on volunteer support.

Biggest pastime outside of work for most people in your organization

Traveling and exploring new places.

Person most interested in meeting that would be beneficial for your organization

There are so many interesting and talented Arab and Arab-American performing and visual artists that we would love to have come to Philadelphia, for them to perform or exhibit their work here, as well as conduct hands-on workshops with youth and educators. That is something we hope to have the organizational capacity to initiate and actively pursue in the coming year or two.

Leader in business most interested in meeting that would be beneficial for your organizaion

Abdel Mohsen Al-Qattan for his philanthropic support of Arab cultural and educational programs and institutions.

Three interesting facts about the organization

The organization was founded by three board members and grew within three years to include six members with an advisor and a “Friends of Al-Bustan Committee” to be formed this year. Over the past four summers of Al-Bustan Camp, 76 campers and counselors have enrolled, with 40% of the participants returning. These participants are of diverse ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds – from Arab, Anglo-Saxon, Southeast Asian, and African-American, to Muslim, Christian and Jewish, with a number of need-based scholarships provided. Each summer there is a team of nine or ten highly talented teachers/artists, specialized in their respective fields, most of whom have been working at the camp since its start or are returning for a second or third summer.

Three characteristics that describe you

Creative, educational, and resourceful

Favorite cause (outside of yours)

Social justice

« Previous 1 2 1 2 Next »

Also this week

     
Nellie Hsu LingRicardo DiazAlliance of South Asians Taking Action

Don’t forget!

Young & Professional Profile | News2Know

Toolbar Help
Press | Advertisers | Partners | Opportunities | Privacy Policy | Editorial Policy | Unsubscribe | Sitemap
The DesiConnect
The MidEastConnect
The AsiaConnect
The LatinConnect
The AfricanaConnect