Project Jericho celebrates National Poetry Month through innovative arts programs designed to build relationships.
Girls in the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center will write poems and see their work published in an anthology. Additionally, teen girls and their female caregivers will gather at Project Jericho to invest in their relationship: dialoguing, making visual art and co-imagining their future. This dual programming is part of a long-term partnership between Project Jericho and Tasha Golden, a career songwriter turned public health researcher.
The innovative mother-daughter program, sponsored by the Springfield Chapter of ZONTA International and Clark County Department of Job and Family Services, is based on research showing that art can make difficult topics more “talk-about-able.” When teen girls and their caregivers create and think about art together, they’re able to have conversations that otherwise seem too difficult or off-limits. This process can stabilize and nurture close relationships, while building a sense of community with other women. The result is improved resilience, communication and well-being.
Both of these programs celebrate National Poetry Month, the role of art in community health and Springfield’s unique role—through Project Jericho—in spearheading innovative arts programming for youth. Project Jericho invites local news sources to publish participants’ poems; record writers reading their poetry; or interview Tasha Golden, Project Jericho staff and/or Annette Eshelman, the visual artist for Project Jericho’s ZONTA program.
Project Jericho is a program of Clark State Community College supported through funding from the Clark County Department of Job and Family Services, The Ohio Arts Council, The Turner Foundation, Clark County Juvenile Court and private contributions.
For more information, contact Project Jericho at 937-328-7976 or visit Project Jericho online at http://www.project-jericho.com.