Ignited
Ever meet someone who ignites you? Recently, I met with Sbu Myeni, who was visiting Philadelphia. Sbu is co-founder and CEO of Imbeleko Foundation. The Imbeleko Foundation, based in a rural community of KwaNyuswa in the picturesquare Valley of 1000 Hills in South Africa, strives to empower children and youth from rural communities through education. It provides holistic education support for talented and hardworking children made vulnerable by poverty and scarcity - where many are raised by unemployed mothers, siblings or grandparents and not exposed to opportunities that can lift them and their community out of these circumstances.
While in South Africa, Sbu will be introducing me to people and programs in Durban. I will also have the opportunity to teach a fitness class to the children served by the Imbeleko Foundation, which may be up to hundreds or even a few thousand kids.
Meeting Sbu excited me! She reminded me of why I am doing this fellowship!
When I was in 1st grade, I wanted to attend dance school but I couldn’t. My mom could not afford the fees. We just didn’t have the money for anything that wasn’t a necessity. My mom eventually found a dance school that provided need-based fee waivers, but I had to audition to be admitted. I watched music videos, trying to teach myself to dance well enough to be accepted. I remember waiting by the rotary phone for the call confirming whether or not I got in. The call came, and I was in! I had to take two Septa buses to get from our house in West Philly to the dance school in North Philly, but I didn’t mind the commute. I got to dance! Dance taught me discipline to care for my body and the importance of working hard at my craft. I learned about commitment and finishing what I started. It built camaraderie with my fellow dancers. I became brave enough to stand on stage and showcase choreography I worked so hard to master.
This experience changed me. I went on to dance at various venues for decades. Nowadays, I teach trauma-informed dance fitness classes. I use dance to provide opportunities for people to transform the body, focus the mind and stir the soul to reclaim parts of themselves that may have previously felt inaccessible or shut off due to traumatic life experiences but can be rediscovered through physical engagement. But, that character building and my ability to give back almost didn’t happen ... but for financial support, my life may be very different.
During the fellowship, my project will explore how to design a scalable and sustainable program for racial minority K-12 students in Philadelphia that is culturally sensitive, healing centered and not cost prohibitive. The impact of this project is to explore a way to give minority children access to programs that may not be otherwise available to them so that they never need to decide between basic necessities and enrichment activities, and can access resources to stay healthy, learn discipline and manage physical and mental wellness in a dignified way.
This idea is practical yet impactful. Life skills are learned through fitness, wellness and athletics. These activities inspire – they encourage deeper understanding of how the mind and body work, teach teamwork and leadership, and build a disciplined character. A child’s background should not dictate whether they will experience such activities, either because they may not be able to afford them or may not be aware of the importance of them. In particular, students who are black, indigenous, people of color should not miss out on opportunities for important edification. This project will promote equity and mitigate the longstanding connection between race and outcomes while also promoting a sense of belonging and self-esteem.
