Meet
Ant Toombs
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Project Joy welcomes Roxbury's own Anthony Toombs to our full time
staff. The former Director of the Children's Trauma Recovery
Foundation and Hip Hop music producer extraordinaire is excited to be
part of making Urban Boston a more safe and playful place for children
to grow. "I grew up in the Orchard Park Projects in the 80's and
know first hand how difficult it can be for some children to tap into
their creativity and joy when chaos is happening all around them.
As adults, we need to fight hard to make sure that children, regardless
of the obstacles they face, are given the opportunity to reach their
full potential."
Ant
has been spending much of his time developing the "Imagimotion"
component of Project Joy's Training. "Imagimotion" helps
children use play, music and movement to expand their creativity
and imagination. In addition, Ant is working on expanding his
"On-Track" initiative to give teens the opportunity to express
themselves through lyric writing, performance and recording arts.
"Music saved my life. It was through music that I was able to
share my story. For whatever reason, many teens relate to the
violence and anger that is present in much of today's music. We
need to help them harness this anger, which in most cases comes from
fear, and channel in into something positive."
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Dear Steve,
With
a documentary movie premier slated for this fall and the release of
last summer's "Good in the Hood" music video (a tribute to our heroes
at Life is goodŽ), it's easy to think
that your friends at Project Joy have gone Hollywood. Don't
believe the hype. We're still rollin' up our sleeves and teaming
with childcare providers across the Nation to heal and strengthen children through
play. Since we last wrote, Project Joy has credentialed over 300
additional "Playmakers" from Massachusetts to Mississippi to
Minneapolis and to
Maine (no we're not bias towards states that begin with the letter M -
I swear it's just a bizarre coincidence). We have also
begun creating the "Project Joy Playfulness Scale" that we hope will
scientifically measure playfulness in children so that we can better
assess how it impacts overall development and health.
We
promise to keep playing, loving and learning. We hope that you do
the same. If we do, chances are, good things are going to happen.
Thanks for all of your help,
Steve Gross
Founding Playmaker
Project Joy
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Project Joy Music Video Airs on Youtube
Team promises to keep day jobs.
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| Click here to see every agonizing moment |
Documentary Film to Premier Nov 29th
After
of the Storm: The Project Joy Story is a film about a movement from the
ground up. Chronicling Hurricane Katrina's impact on Mississippi's
youngest survivors, the film gives voice to our nation's most important
resource - our children. Taking an intimate look at the
individuals most affected by Hurricane Katrina and profiling childcare
providers and community leaders as they work to restore joy where it's
needed most, After of the Storm: The Project Joy Story shows how one
small organization is helping the nation rise above.
Directors
Franco Sacchi and Aimee Corrigan have been documenting the work of
Project Joy for over 18 months. Says Corrigan, "So much of the media
surrounding Hurricane Katrina has been about problems. Project Joy has
allowed us to tell a story about solutions."
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Jumpstart & Joy
Every
year, Jumpstart selects from hundreds of applicants, twenty-five of the
most promising young preschool teachers in the country. They gather for
a two-week series of trainings in Boston before they "take the field."
For the first time, Project Joy and Jumpstart teamed up to provide the
most innovative training experience for these young stars. During the
eight-hour workshop, trainees learned about the importance of play and
creativity in early childhood classrooms, and practiced activities that
they can use with their students. Trainees also considered how exposure
to overwhelming events impacts the way children grow and learn, as well
as how play can be an antidote for trauma and stress. One teacher
remarked, "this workshop was my favorite of the series. I can't wait to
use this in my classroom!" The success of the training ensures that
Project Joy and Jumpstart will collaborate for many upcoming seasons.
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