For children by children – crossing the divide towards a common ground

Petra Kempf

“For children by children – crossing the divide towards a common ground” will support the development of arts-based curriculum through which children will have access to aesthetic tools to meaningfully voice their opinion and to advocate for themselves. The place-based, creative learning platform will focus on locally existent conditions in a neighborhood, including its climate, both ecological and socio-economic, and the natural and built environment that gives it shape. The essential questions forming the development of the curriculum are: 1) Who am I in relation to my environment––cultural, social, and the natural habitat?; 2) What are the assets of my community?; and 3) What are the concerns of my community?

The curriculum starts from the premise that children are creative agents and essential members in our society, whose voices should be taken into consideration when seeking solutions to social issues and imagining future possibilities. The curriculum will be developed by and with children in St. Louis with the support of artists, educators, and scholars knowledgeable in the fields of play, art education, and collective living. The framework through which the curriculum will unfold is a series of participatory workshops organized with regional schools and arts organizations to collaboratively guide the development of content. The primary measurable outcome will be the development of place-and play-based curriculum in the form of an art toolkit consisting of a series of instructional posters, postcards, as well as creative learning strategies that encourage children to generate ideas, construct physical or mental models, and consider multiple perspectives to find creative solutions. With the art toolkit in their possession, the aim is to equip children for social and civic engagement in their respective community.

In addition to Petra Kempf, Meredith Lehman was involved in this project through May 2023.