A NEW HOME FOR YELLOW COCO CREATIVE NEST
Yellow Coco Creative Nest has been located in Nyuh Kuning, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. Now a more permanent location is needed as our 3-year lease is up.
OUR VISION
For over 20 years Susiawan and I have been advocating for the arts as a teaching and learning tool in Indonesia, Canada and Japan. We believe the arts
connect us to each other regardless of culture, social status, or community affiliation.
We also believe the arts connects to our whole selves in the deepest ways.
The creative nest is not just a physical place, but it is also a model of education in which we weave the physical, cultural, emotional, intellectual and spiritual experiences of student and teacher, parent and child, to nurture learning and growth.
A key component in our programs and approach is the nurturing of a sense of wonder in connection to where we are as it is this sense that directly feeds the source of our creativity, spirit and humanity and brings us into a deeper relationship to the place
where we are living.
Our vision reaches beyond our local studio to sharing our unique holistic arts model to the rest of the world through workshops and training which supports parents, educators and other interested parties who are interested in a model of education based on
well-being (for all), sustainability and connections to self, others and the world.
Some of the programs we've designed and run are:
Early Years Circle Time (ages 0-4). This is a bilingual program (English/Indonesian) designed to bring families and caregivers with children together to develop kinesthetically, linguistically, socially and emotionally through song, dance,
creative movement, storytelling, drumming, and visual expression. The program also supports cross-cultural connection, knowledge sharing, and relations between parents and caregivers.
Holistic Arts Programs (ages 5-12). This program draws on local stories, mythology, through direct interaction with the people in the community (villagers, artisans, temple priests). From these experiences we share and express what we discover
through multiple modalities (drama, dance, music, visual expression, poetry, storytelling, puppetry) over given periods of time. Arts engagements have included: exploration of local festivals and rituals such as Ogoh2 and Nyepi (Balinese New Year), Rainbow
Foods (organic gardening and healthy eating), and Friendship Across Cultures Through the Arts (a special arts-based multi-lingual program) bringing English-speaking, Balinese-speaking and Indonesian-speaking children together.
Training for Teachers, Parents and Facilitators in our Holistic Arts Education Model. This model is designed to support more creative, holistic approaches to teaching and learning with a specific focus on local sites as a place of learning
through the arts. Participants share and explore holistic program examples, which nurture connections to personal creativity, rhythm of well-being and the interconnection between children/teens/adults to themselves, each other and the natural world.
Performances, Special Events and Ceremonies - Yellow Coco has run many community
performances in shadow puppetry, mime and story theatre by the founders, by visiting artists and by the children who join us in our programs. Special events and ceremonies have been designed and created to mark important cultural events and family rites of
passage which have brought us closer together as a community and acknowledged and provided the container for the recognition of important transitions.
Cultural Programs
We have also been offering a special window on the world of the culture of the archipelago with special programs with visiting students from Southeast Asia and beyond.These programs are hands on sharing both experience, history and philosophy of the various
cultural arts of Bali and the rest of Indonesia.
Community Partners/Affiliates
Over the past 3 years we've worked with the following local and international groups/organizations: Kinderland Jakarta, Dyatmika, Bali International School, Montessori Bali, Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, Odyssey Institute, Fivelements, BaliSpirit, Sunrise
School, Cheeky Monkeys, UNESCO, Asia-Paciific Network for Holistic Educators, Shinwa Women's University, Japan, Kindergarten Nyuh Kuning, Pelangi, Green School and Ubud Homeschoolers Communities, The Spring, Ubud, Yoga Swaha Kids, Indonesian University of
Teachers Training (UPI) - Bandung, Sampoerna Foundation - Jakarta, HUBUD, Bali, Museum Puri Lukisan, Ubud, Bali.
ARTS Research
We're open to and have received researchers interested in learning more about arts as a tool in education and recently hosted a Canadian researcher who was interested the arts and early childhood education from the perspective of traditional Balinese artists
and the traditional arts both in formal and in community based education. We helped to set up all of her interviews with Balinese artists, translated and liased for her to support her research efforts.
At Present
We want to continue our work with our multicultural community as now more than ever the need for such a space and approach that Yellow Coco provides is high. The numbers of families and children in our programs has increased dramatically and the community
has asked for more!
Without a more permanent location, we are unable to continue our work as the rising prices of rental spaces is out of our reach.
Please help us to keep doing what we are doing and deeping our work with the arts and community and support the longer term site.
OUR NEW SITE – Building Relations with Balinese Artists
We have found a location owned by a Balinese family that is just 5 minutes from our present location. On this site, one of the family members has a ceramic studio. For years he has wanted to work out of this studio but it has not been financially viable.
Upon meeting, we knew a there was a creative relationship was in the works. Bringing our two studios together would directly connect the communities of people we have fostered to the unique and talented work of Made. Because of our desire to create our nest
on his site, he hopes to be able to create full time out of his own studio. With local connections with the banjar (community) and klian (banjar head) we've been given the 'thumbs up' to begin to co-create and share with the community.
WE NEED YOU!
With your support we can make this dream a reality.
Please show your support by:
1. Making a donation (however large or small).
2. Share this campaign with colleagues, friends, family and networks by blogging, talking about the project and/or forwarding the link to this campaign. Every level of donation will make a difference!
