About Beehome
The BeeHome Academy is a platform, initiated by the Hope Foundation and The Open Studio in Khan Younis, with the aim to stimulate children to develop and express themselves through the arts.
Why This Platform?
War is a recurring phenomenon. It has a devastating effect on people and their culture. BeeHome attempts to reduce the negative effects of war and contribute to a process that activates children and their surroundings, while enabling them to search for a meaningful life in order to survive.
The arts are able to activate the imagination and sharpen the mind. This creates the conditions for an increased sense of self-respect and self-confidence and can contribute to a reduction of fear and a higher sense of security. People with self-confidence and self-respect are better equipped to take positive decisions in life.
We also wanted to develop a project that allows us to contribute to the protection of the culture, its stories and its habits; to protect it from extinction, a common consequence of broken-up communities.
In 2017 these ideas developed into a digital art project that aims to inspire older children and their caretakers in refugee camps all over the world to initiate activities with (groups of) children, allowing them to gain something in the process.
The arts are able to activate the imagination and sharpen the mind. This creates the conditions for an increased sense of self-respect and self-confidence and can contribute to a reduction of fear and a higher sense of security. People with self-confidence and self-respect are better equipped to take positive decisions in life.
We also wanted to develop a project that allows us to contribute to the protection of the culture, its stories and its habits; to protect it from extinction, a common consequence of broken-up communities.
In 2017 these ideas developed into a digital art project that aims to inspire older children and their caretakers in refugee camps all over the world to initiate activities with (groups of) children, allowing them to gain something in the process.
The Democratizing Effect Of Technique
The only material you need is a smartphone. Today nearly everyone has a smartphone and for refugees these phones have literally become lifelines. Smartphones hold almost endless possibilities and give access to an almost inexhaustible source of knowledge. It is this feature that we would like to use for coaching the children and exposing them to all imaginable possibilities for developing knowledge and skills and reaching out to professionals all over the world. This is the democratizing effect of technique.
Inviting the children to produce and share their own photos and videos is also part of a learning curve for the makers.
Inviting the children to produce and share their own photos and videos is also part of a learning curve for the makers.
How Does The BeeHome Academy Work?
On the BeeHome Academy website you will find instruction videos developed in collaboration with artists and children in Gaza, Syria and the Netherlands. All videos introduce artistic themes that are based on traditional stories from the region. By telling these stories in a new form we are helping to preserving the local culture.
The educational material provides an insight into the processes of creation, implementation and making connections with professional artists. The children will be informed about positive developments in the world through the arts and games.
For participating in the lessons shown in the videos, the children will only need materials that are likely to be found in the camps. In the videos they will find suggestions on how to make a shadow theatre, how to use their bodies for dance and theatre, how to make music and how to make art with recycled materials from their immediate surroundings; after all, a lack of materials should never cause the absence of projects or lessons.
And last, but by no means least: learning and creating are supposed to be fun! We hope that the BeeHome Academy will bring many smiles to many faces all over the globe.
The educational material provides an insight into the processes of creation, implementation and making connections with professional artists. The children will be informed about positive developments in the world through the arts and games.
For participating in the lessons shown in the videos, the children will only need materials that are likely to be found in the camps. In the videos they will find suggestions on how to make a shadow theatre, how to use their bodies for dance and theatre, how to make music and how to make art with recycled materials from their immediate surroundings; after all, a lack of materials should never cause the absence of projects or lessons.
And last, but by no means least: learning and creating are supposed to be fun! We hope that the BeeHome Academy will bring many smiles to many faces all over the globe.
The Team
Our team is ready to give support wherever we can.
Netherlands Team: Ingrid Rollema, Suzanne Groothuis, Wim Rollema, Rosh Abdelfatah, Paul Robbert Bruijninckx
Gaza Team: Amany Abu Mostpha, Elham Abu Hattab, Emad Zourob, Ghaleb Abu Khatir, Mahmoud Alhaj, Mumen Khalifa, Nawal Alzwaie, Nosiba Abu Khater and Khitam Alwaity
Netherlands Team: Ingrid Rollema, Suzanne Groothuis, Wim Rollema, Rosh Abdelfatah, Paul Robbert Bruijninckx
Gaza Team: Amany Abu Mostpha, Elham Abu Hattab, Emad Zourob, Ghaleb Abu Khatir, Mahmoud Alhaj, Mumen Khalifa, Nawal Alzwaie, Nosiba Abu Khater and Khitam Alwaity
The Hope Foundation
Project BeeHome is an initiative of the Holland Office for Personal Encouragement in close collaboration with the PRCS (Palestinian Red Crescent Society), the Open Studio in Khan Younis Gaza and is generously supported by The Dutch Red Cross, Groenendijk-Clemensfonds and private donations.
The PRCS and the Red Cross help us make the BeeHome Academy accessible to the public.
To find out more about the Hope Foundation and the team behind the BeeHome Academy, click the button below .
The PRCS and the Red Cross help us make the BeeHome Academy accessible to the public.
To find out more about the Hope Foundation and the team behind the BeeHome Academy, click the button below .
