In the Spirit of #Ubuntu Academy @FairfieldU - @LeaptoLead and @cwpfairfield, 2015. Woot Woot!

After the teachers spent two hours collaborating on ways to LEAP with their Invitational Summer Institute demonstrations, after young artists began using their new ink tools for their graphic novels, after the adolescent novelists introduced their chapters to our educators, and after I had a 60-minute meeting with my state grant advisors, I walked across campus to catch my breath.

That's when I came across the young immigrant and refugee youth who are on campus for the 2nd year of Ubuntu Academy trying to recreate an image they found online to best explain what Ubuntu means: a human being is a human being because of other human beings. They created a community circle and I was lucky to be there to capture their creativity.

Wh'tsh. A cellphone. Sh'Zaam. Ubuntu.

Young people and teachers bonding together at Fairfield University in a one-of-a-kind lab funded through the collaboration of CWP-Fairfield, the kindness of the Office of Community Engagement, the vision of Bridgeport Public Schools, and the mission of LEAP! For a very low cost, these young people and teachers are getting an opportunity for a lifetime.

Also, when walking by the afternoon lesson, I overheard a young man explaining to the others that Chapter One of Outcasts United by Warren St. John is all about Ubuntu and the importance of working as a community. The word is not in the text, but the kid made a connection through his own analysis and deconstruction of his experience over the first three days.

Wusah! New to our nation of plenty and coming from from a place where the struggles were quite different, an African word finds its way into the interpretation of a text written in Western English.
Some of the students are learning their first words. Others, with more proficiency are helping those having a more difficult time. Abu and Lossine, our special guests throughout all of our programs, are uniting and threading collaboration between all of our labs and the teacher institute.

Dear Great Whatever! Help us to keep this magic alive!