PU students team up with kids affected by Sept. 11 attacks

Last week saw the launch of Princeton’s Arts Alive program.

By: Jordan Paul Amadio
   Last week saw the launch of Princeton University’s Arts Alive program, an effort to heal the wounds of Sept. 11 by providing live arts and cultural experiences for New York City schoolchildren affected by the terrorist attacks.
   Between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1, more than 400 elementary school children and family members were led through the American Museum of Natural History and the Rose Center Planetarium and taken to Broadway productions of "42nd Street" and "Beauty and the Beast" by Princeton University student volunteers.
   Small groups of children were matched with one or two college students, who served as their escorts and mentors for the day.
   Princeton sophomore Erica Shein, one of four volunteer directors for the program, described an exuberant reaction among the children in New York.
   "The kids just loved the museum, especially the dinosaur exhibits, and the ‘Space Show’ in the planetarium," she said. "They were very excited and moving so fast, it was hard for us and the parents to keep up with them."
   The schools participating in the program are among those adversely affected by the events of Sept. 11, either by proximity to the disaster site or by the loss of life in their communities. Last week’s participants hailed from Public School 234 on Greenwich Street in TriBeCa, which finally opened on Monday after months of temporary dislocation, and Public School 20, which saw the loss of many students’ family members in the attacks.
   Participation of dozens of university volunteers was coordinated through the Performing Arts Council and the sophomore class, which has adopted the program as a class project. Both organizations will work throughout the spring to develop further educational opportunities for the children targeted by Arts Alive, including visits to museums, art galleries and theatrical performances.
   "There has been a lot of interest so far," said Ms. Shein. "We’re very happy with the results."
   Arts Alive, while created and funded by Princeton University as part of its $1 million response to the tragedies of Sept. 11, is being conducted in conjunction with Hospital Audiences Inc., a nonprofit organization founded to provide access to the arts for the elderly, disabled and at-risk youth. In addition to Arts Alive, the university has initiated a scholarship program at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, set up summer programs for children touched by the disaster and devoted funds to support faculty, students and staff who can contribute special expertise to New York’s renewal and recovery.
   According to Ms. Shein, however, Arts Alive goes beyond alleviating the consequences of last September’s terrorist strike.
   "These kids had serious, unprecedented trauma in their lives recently, but this is definitely not a forum to discuss Sept. 11," she said. "The program is a way for the kids to view a lot of fun things around the city and spend time with Princeton students. There is a lot we can share."
   Paris Makell, a sophomore who led "a group of four very nice, enthusiastic kids" through the museum Jan. 30, agreed.
   "I didn’t really bring up Sept. 11 very much," she said. "It was just an opportunity for the kids and parents to be together and not worry about anything, and to get the kids interested in learning more about art and history, which they otherwise might not do."
   Because of the emotional sensitivity surrounding the World Trade Center tragedy for many of the children, Hospital Audiences representatives asked the Princeton volunteers to minimize discussion of the attacks and focus only on the day’s educational events.
   For Ms. Makell, this policy aligned perfectly with the goals of Arts Alive.
   "You see a lot of sad things in the world these days," she said. "So I think it’s a good idea to try and lighten up the situation, to just get together and share a little bit of knowledge and fun for a day."