Starting an NGO: Making your MARC

The next Brown Bag discussion on Wednesday, November 19 at 1pm in the WSC Murray Boardroom will feature a presentation by Arianna Bodaghi (IPE '10) who will discuss her work to create an NGO (Music and Art in Refugee Communities or M.A.R.C.).

M.A.R.C. was created to help refugee children heal from traumatic situations and develop skills that will facilitate contributions to a healthy, productive society. M.A.R.C.'s primary goal is to instruct refugee children in art and music and provide refugee children with the opportunity for self-expression. M.A.R.C. plans to establish programs to provide refugee communities with access to musical instruments, design and develop a music and art curriculum to be applied either in workshops or community activities, and train music and art instructors within refugee communities. M.A.R.C. plans to incorporate traditional musical instruments that are relevant to the cultures of the refugee children being instructed, although as the program develops M.A.R.C. hopes to offer classical instruction as well. Furthermore, M.A.R.C. hopes to utilize adult members within refugee communities to help develop and facilitate programs.

Go to http://sites.google.com/site/marcommunities/ to learn more about Ari's project. Ari's presentation will highlight some of the practical challenges to starting an NGO as well as her motivation for this project and an upcoming benefit concert.

Bring your lunch to this IPE discussion group. [Note: no Brown Bag program is scheduled on 11/26 due to the Thanksgiving holiday.]