MCO August Art Camp
This was our fifteenth annual Art Camp at Mathare Community Outreach, Kenya. Camp began with a powerful reminder: God has placed unique gifts and talents inside every one of us. Art Camp classes included dance, music, photography and videography, baking, fashion design, and other visual and performing arts. Through creativity, learning, and fun, students discovered their gifts, found purpose, and learned to use their hands to make a difference. Grateful hearts. Gifted hands. Purpose-filled lives! Every talent is a gift, and every gift has a purpose.
Whitney’s Story
One memorable moment happened in Dance Class where we witnessed the confidence and
healthy competition among the students. At one point during the week, six dancers expressed interest in playing the main character. Rather than simply selecting one student, the instructors organized a dance competition where the contestants performed different dance genres while being guided and evaluated on their strengths, weaknesses, rhythm, musicality, and ability to express emotion. The process eventually led to Whitney being selected for the main role. What stood out was her ability to connect with the rhythm, lyrics, and mood of different genres and express the emotions of the character through her movement. The instructor encouraged the dancers to approach their roles by imagining themselves in the situation they were portraying and responding to the emotions of that moment through dance. Whitney embraced this approach throughout the camp and grew significantly in her ability to embody the character.
Her final performance was powerful and emotional and demonstrated how encouragement,
practice, healthy competition, and mentorship can help a young person discover confidence and
develop their artistic ability.
Watch a short Showcase recap video below!
