“What Have Your Dollars Done This Year?” A letter from the Executive Director
Dear family of supporters,
I’m sitting down to write this letter with more hope and excitement for the future than ever before. That may seem inconsistent with reality, as the Delta variant puts in person schooling in NYC and NJ into question this fall, as COVID cases spike in India, as political and environmental turmoil increases in Haiti, and as the economy in the Galapagos Islands continues to suffer from a lack of tourism. And those are just the communities where our programs, students, and teachers reside - it seems like in every corner of the earth, there is some new tragedy or crisis tugging at our hearts and minds.
But, I still am feeling optimistic.
Maybe it is because I have the privilege of working with young people, or maybe it is because I have the privilege of working with not-so-young people who continually show up with their time, talent, and treasure to invest in our students’ success, but as this new school year approaches, I can’t help but celebrate. We survived the past 18-months, never abandoning our students as their need for social-emotional learning, community building, and opportunities for self expression became greater than ever before. Our school partners and administrators have been heroes throughout it all, and we are thrilled to be working with them to expand the depth of our existing partnerships (and to create new ones!) to meet this increased need. Here is a peak into some of what the Fall looks like for BAE:
Expansion of the Shanti Bhavan music program to include 14 more virtual teachers, a new curriculum for the lower school, and the addition of 2 new choral ensembles
Beginning programming at the Starlet Academy in Paterson, NJ
Increasing our in school and after school programs in NYC to more than 25 hours/week of dance, music production, and theater classes
The addition of 7th and 8th graders at our programs in Haiti - enrollment has nearly doubled in the past 2 years!
Continued virtual music programs with the Tomas de Berlanga school in the Galapagos Islands
New support from government, private, and corporate foundations - including the Department of Education and Department of Cultural Affairs.
$5000+ in scholarships and internships awarded to our students heading off into their post-secondary success journeys!
Thank you for making it all possible.
With gratitude,
Ben
