Project RestART Evaluation            

Fall 2014 Winter 2015

08  Fall  

Table of Contents Final Interviews (Participants) 1

Final Interviews (Facilitators) 5

Initial Interest 5

Facilitation 5

Circle Process 7

Art Activities 8

Final Project 9

Logistics 9

Weekly Surveys 10

Tables (Week 1 – Week 2) 10

Tables (Week 3 – Week 4) 11

Graphs (Week 1) 12

Graphs (Week 2) 14

Graphs (Week 3) 17

Graphs (Week 4) 20

Overview

Final Interviews (Participants) Project RestART participants were interviewed following the completion of 8 Project RestART sessions (November 2014 – January 2015) and the presentation of a final group project. Eight participants were interviewed total – four attended Anishinabe Academy and four attended Anne Sullivan. Participants were interviewed in person and were asked open-ended questions about their experience in Project RestART. The following is a summary of responses from these interviews including paraphrased responses and direct quotes. Individual participants are not identified in the report.

Final Interviews (Facilitators) Project RestART facilitators were also interviewed following the completion of Project RestART. The facilitators are staff members at Anishinabe Academy and Anne Sullivan. Responses to interview questions were provided both in person and in written form. The following is a summary of data from these interviews including paraphrased responses and direct quotes.

Weekly Survey Data Facilitators distributed weekly surveys to participants following each session of Project RestART. Participants rated their interest level in the weekly icebreaker, Circle process and art activity on a scale of 1-5 (Boring to Okay to Awesome). They rated their comfort level sharing personal stories and sharing personal artwork on a scale of 1-5 (Not at all comfortable to Comfortable to Very comfortable). Participants were also provided an open space to offer additional comments or suggestions. This report includes data from surveys in table and graph form for Weeks 1-4.

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Final Interviews -Program Participants-

How did you find out about Project RestART? o Ms. Lucero – 3 o Mr. Hassan – 4 o Friend – 1

What drew you to Project RestART?

o Art – 6 (Drawing – 4; Painting – 1) o It sounded fun – 1 o Science projects – 1

What did you like most about Project RestART?

o Socializing – 1 - Hanging out with people and getting to know new people

o The play – 4 - Dressing in traditional clothes - People were watching

o Art activities – 4 - Somali elder finger weaving - Everyone working together to make the dream catcher

o Everything – 2 o Safe space – 1

- There was no bullying

What suggestions do you have for improving RestART? o Nothing – 6 o Time extension – 1

“I would take the short part away and make it longer.” (When prompted, student said she’d prefer more sessions per week vs. longer sessions)

o Behavior – 1

“I would change no bullying, cussing or fighting.”

2

Would you invite your friends to Project RestART? o Yes – 6 o No – 1

“Sometimes when you tell them, they’re not listening and they might not be interested in art.” (Student specified that she had attempted to talk to her friends about RestART.)

o I don’t know – 1 How would you describe Project RestART to your friends?

o It’s fun – 3 o “You get to do fun art”/Describe the art activities – 4 o Safe space – 2

“…It’s fun, and you’re not gonna get bullied or something.”

“There is safe place to not bully each other. Sullivan and Anishinabe don’t bully each other. Stuff like that.”)

o Social – 2

“…you get to know new people…”

“There’s lots of kids…”

Had you ever participated in a Circle process before?

o Yes – 3 o No – 3

Describe your experience with the Circle process in Project RestART.

o Good, people took turns talking – 2 o Good, I learned about another culture – 1 o I felt comfortable participating – 4

(Final Project) What was bothering you about bullying in your school?

o Fighting and cussing – 4 o Peoples’ feelings being hurt – 2 o Racism – 2

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(Final Project) What led you to use a play to talk about bullying?

o To illustrate the impact bullying has on people – 2

“We wanted to show them how it looks like and how it feels when you get bullied.”

“So people could see how painful.” o Bullying is personal – 1

“’Cause mostly actually a lot of people been being bullied by other people. I've been bullied, too, about last week. And in this group I been bullied…”

o Group decision – 1 “First, we made a Circle. That’s how we came up with the play.”

o To stop bullying behavior – 2

“So people would stop.”

“Not cussing mother. Some people cuss mom.”

o “I just liked it.” – 1

How can art be used to solve problems and make positive change?

“We could hang up posters saying ‘Stop bullying’ and we could just talk to people [about] how it feels like to get bullied…”

“…like you want to tell somebody in paper, you make a art of it. You paint it and they’ll try to get what you’re saying.”

“[The play] was really helpful. I think it stopped some people to stop bullying.”

“…It’s like, it’s a play and it’s really artistic. Like, drawing would help people not bully and stuff like that.”

“Expression, a stress release, put voice to art”

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Would you like Project RestART to take place at your school, Courageous heARTS or someplace else?

o Courageous heARTS – 4 “I haven’t been there yet, but it sounds really cool.”

“So we could get along together and meet new people. Meet new friends.”

“I want to check out courageous heARTS, but I don’t know where it’s at.” o School – 1 o Another location – 3

“Bracket Park”

“So people don’t make fun.”

“So it’s quieter.”

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Final Interviews

-Facilitators-

Initial Interest - What drew you to Project RestART? o Working with the kids o Cross-cultural leadership o Circle Keeping o Youth leadership development o Building community

In a closing reflection, the youth leadership development approach was described as “…giving the kids the tools they need and watching the leaders of tomorrow be created by the students themselves with minimal guidance from facilitators.”

Facilitation - What went well? Holistic approach

o There were multiple platforms for relationship-building and leadership development. (i.e. art activities, Circle process, co-creating a final project)

“It wasn't only a Circle where we just worked on peacekeeping. It was peacekeeping, hands on projects, creating friendship, creating leaders…”

Facilitation approach

o Facilitators served as “guides” by creating space for participants to lead and offering guidance when necessary. For example, if students were acting disrespectfully toward one another, facilitators would conduct a Circle to help students “come back to themselves” and generate ideas for how to “move forward”.

Flexible Structure

o A flexible structure was more conducive to leadership development than having a set curriculum. Program participants had the opportunity to assist in shaping the program.

“You just go with the flow and going with the flow, honestly, created leaders. It's real life kind of work that we do. … We know we want the outcome to be good leaders for the community, but if we say, "This is the only way that we want to have leaders come out," then I think it's going to be very difficult for the kids to follow that direction. [Instead], we say, “We want good leaders, but we want you to show us what is really a good leader.” And the kids will show you.”

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Leadership development among participants

o Example - Participants requested a Circle process to come to an agreement Cross Cultural Learning & Relationship Building

o Students seemed to be “at odds” with one another in the beginning due to cultural differences and, by the end of the project, would “laugh, joke and share together.”

o Facilitators learned from one another about cultural practices and traditions.

o Students respected both facilitators as elders over time.

“I also felt that the students from Anne Sullivan had treated me like an elder by showing respect. It did not happen right away. It was a process.”

Facilitation – What were the challenges? Time constraints

o In a weekly two-hour session, there is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes spent on activities.

o The two activities most affected by time constraints were Somali body weaving and

practicing the play – more time was needed for both. Initial conflict among students

o Disrespect between students from Anne Sullivan and Anishinabe Academy

o The first Circle to address conflict was challenging. Participants were teasing and laughing at others and did not seem to be taking it seriously. Facilitators stayed engaged in the process and invited participants to reflect on the disruptive behavior. There was a marked change in group dynamics as participants began to speak openly and honestly to the group.

Facilitation – Suggestions for the future Preparation

o Build in more time to sort out logistics before the program begins (i.e. bus approval)

Recruitment - Participants

o Distribute fliers and offer information sessions to schools and students, which will help to gauge interest. This may also lead to more consistent attendance, as students are more likely to commit if they are familiar with the program and facilitators.

o Continue to initially engage students at the middle school level so that leadership can continue to be cultivated through high school.

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o Include students with varying levels of school engagement, academic achievement and behavior

Recruitment - Facilitators

o Find facilitators willing to facilitate at courageous heARTS o Find facilitators willing to facilitate more than one day per week o Invite high school-aged students to assist with facilitation

Logistics

o Extend duration/increase frequency of sessions to allow more time to: • Complete art activities • Facilitate a reflection Circle following art activities

o Coordinate transportation from school site to the heART Center and the heART Center to home

o Provide a large space o Continue to provide great snacks

Circle Process – How was it used? o Aside from one or two weeks, a Circle process took place weekly. The Circle was typically

used to help the group re-center if there was conflict or the energy in the room became too chaotic. Circle took place at different times during each session because it was used to address issues as they arose.

o A lot of time was spent in Circle the first two sessions and after that they were shorter

(approximately 8 minutes). Students would reflect on their behavior and it’s causes and come up with ideas about how to move forward.

Circle Process – What went well? o Students respected the talking piece which is important because they are commonly in

environments where people are talking over one another.

o The first Circle process and the hula hoop weaving activity were two key elements to addressing conflict and creating a safe space and sense of community.

o Pairing the Circle process (talking) with a physical activity (creating) that brings students

close in proximity and provides opportunities for them to ask for and offer help to and from one another was an impactful combination.

o Tahir valued the Native American tradition of peacekeeping and also found parallels within

African peacekeeping traditions with which he is familiar.

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Circle Process – What were the challenges? o There was minimal direction regarding the use of the Circle for Project RestART. Linda

possessed the knowledge and experience to guide the way. After one to two Circles, direction for use of the Circle became clearer to facilitators.

o Previous experience Circle Keeping typically involved older students and young adults, more time was allowed and participants were “present to learn, hear and contribute.” A challenge experienced during Project RestART was that participants seemed to not understand the importance of Circle and did not take it very seriously.

Circle Process – Suggestions for the future o It would be helpful to use a Circle on a weekly basis to reflect on the art activities, and there

would need to be more time in a session for that to take place.

o Circle can be used to structure each session. If students’ input about daily processes, the order of activities and time allotted for each activity is taken into consideration, the session will run more smoothly.

Art Activities – What went well? o Somali body weaving

o Native American talking stick

o Hoola hoop weaving [This was key to relationship building among students]

o Students enjoyed having teachers from outside of the school environment

o Students loved the art component

o Parents appreciated expression toolkits

o Guest speakers were able to speak to Somali and Native American cultural tradition and history as it related to the art

Art activities – What were the challenges? o Time constraints

Art activities – Suggestions for the future? o Instructors from outside organization would like more time to work with students and

complete projects. Typically, instructors spend a week with students to complete a body weaving project. Project RestART participants needed more than two sessions (approximately 2 hours total) to complete their projects.

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Final Project – What went well? o Parent involvement – Parents attended the play and enjoyed it

Final Project – What were the challenges? o Time constraints – There was enough time to develop the concept of the play, but not

enough time to practice the play before performing it.

Logistics – Group Size o Participants: 10 (maximum)

Facilitators: 1-2 for every 10 participants

• Smaller group is ideal for quality programming and leadership development

• Smaller group affords more time and opportunities for each participant to contribute to the Circle process

o Participants: 8-12

Facilitators: 1 facilitator for less than 8 participants; 2 facilitators for more than 8 participants

Logistics – Schedule o Frequency: 2 (minimum) – 3 (ideal) days p/ week o Duration: 2 hour sessions if using MPS transportation

2+ hour sessions if alternative transportation is available

Logistics – Location Courageous heARTS

o Students need exposure to spaces outside of the traditional school environment where they can utilize their creativity and learn from one another

o Students expressed an interest in Project RestART taking place outside of the school environment

o There would be less confusion and more space

o Participants would feel more settled in a space separate from the school environment

o Transportation would need to be arranged

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Weekly Surveys    

 

Week 2 November 11

Icebreaker Circle Art Activity Sharing Artwork

Sharing Stories

5 5 4 4 3 3 5 2 4 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 3 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 5 2 0 0 5 5 5 5 5 3 0 0 3 3 4 2 5 4 5

         Comments/Suggestions “I love the art!”

   

Additional Notes   ‘0’ represents a blank space or “N/A” on the survey

Week 1 November 4

Icebreaker Circle Art Activity Sharing Artwork

Sharing Stories

3 3 - 3 4 5 5 - 4 5 5 5 - 5 4 3 4 - 3 3 3 5 - 3 3 5 5 - 5 4 5 5 - 5 4 5 4 - 5 4

         Comments/Suggestions Draw Art Pizza

    Beading Dreamcatchers Field Trips

Additional Notes   No art activity Snacks were rated a ‘5’ on one survey

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Week 4 December 12

Icebreaker Circle Art Activity Sharing Artwork

Sharing Stories

5 5 5 5 5 3 2 0 2 1 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 2 3 3 5 3 3 3 4 5 3 4 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

         Comments/Suggestions “More hot cocoa!”

   

Additional Notes  Snacks rated a ‘5’ on two

surveys

‘0’ represents a blank space or “N/A” on the survey

Week 3 November 18

Icebreaker Circle Art Activity Sharing Artwork

Sharing Stories

5 5 5 4 2 3 5 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 2 5 3 3 3 5 5 5 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 5 1 2 3

         Comments/Suggestions None

   

Additional Notes   None

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Week 1 November 4

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Week 1 November 4 (cont.)  

 

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Week 2 November 11

   

   

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Week 2 November 11 (cont.)      

 

 

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Week 2 November 11 (cont.)    

                                             

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Week 3 November 18      

       

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Week 3 November 18 (cont.)    

 

 

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Week 3 November 18 (cont.)    

                                             

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Week 4 December 12    

 

     

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Week 4 December 12 (cont.)    

 

 

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Week 4 December 12 (cont.)