Be the change you want to see. These are Mahatma Gandhi’s words and a lesson that Donna Yates, Founder of Poetry Pals, has really taken to heart. “I believe we need to make friends with people from other cultures/religions/ethnic backgrounds.. and it's great if we start at an early age. We don't always have the opportunity to interact and share our traditions. Poetry , music and art are fun and creative vehicles for having kids express themselves,” says Yates.

Her initiative, Poetry Pals, was started in Chicago in August 2007. Founding board members and teachers included a group of dedicated volunteers, comprising mostly retired teachers, social workers and Jewish communal professionals. The program was modeled after We the Poets, created by Dr. Cathleen Cohen in Philadelphia in 2001 to meet a need following 9/11. Since then, We the Poets has grown and is now a part of The Arts and Spirituality Center of Greater Philadelphia. Their website is www.artsandspirituality.org

As the name of the program suggests, poetry is the medium used to encourage students of diverse faiths and backgrounds to express their feelings, values and beliefs, and as importantly, to learn to listen respectfully to others. In the process the children build self-esteem, and enhance communication skills. “Poetry Pals brings together children from different backgrounds so they can get to know each other and share information about their traditions, religions and cultures while they are having fun writing poetry. From these experiences, they will grow up without stereotyping others on the basis of their ethnicity, and they may even develop some lasting friendships,” says Harriet Rosenman, a Poet-educator with the program.

The project in Chicago began with the Muslim Community Center (MCC) Fulltime School in Morton Grove, Il and the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Jewish Day School in Chicago. It brought ninety 4th and 5th grade students together in 2008 thanks to a grant from the Interfaith Youth Core, supported by the Search Institute and Learn and Serve America. The students wrote poetry together, created art, and planned a service- learning event. Both schools wanted their students to meet peers from a different faith tradition, and Poetry Pals offered them a unique vehicle for doing this. This was the beginning of a program that would soon find a home at KAM Synagogue and City of Faith Church, a synagogue Sunday school and an African-American church. Participants were 10-12 years old. They met three times and wrote poems about Martin Luther King and their dreams for a better world, as well as poems about their holidays.

At Diamond Lake Elementary School, a public school in –Mundelein, IL. 4th graders in ESL and Spanish immersion class met and learned from each other about their respective traditions and celebrations. Poetry Pals was invited to the Diamond Lake School in Mudelein, IL to work with the 4th grade Latino students in the ESL class and bring them together with the other 4th graders. The students don’t get to know each other and this project helped them develop friendships and learn more about Latino culture.

Beginning this week, Poetry Pals will be held Islamic Foundation Islamic School, Villa Park and at St. Pius X School, Lombard  where 90 fourth graders will work together. They will meet once a month for three months. During the programs, the students write poems about themselves, their families, their holidays and traditions. When possible, they have a tour of each other’s places of worship. They play interactive games and produce two wall hangings, one for each school. The students at MCC and Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Jewish Day School admitted to being apprehensive at first, but were happy after they met and made friends. Many students exchanged email addresses and are still in contact. A beautiful moment occurred before the meal when each group said their respective prayer and explained its meaning. The service-learning project at these schools involved collecting food for a local shelter. The students addressed issues of hunger in their community and around the world, made placemats for the shelter and wrote poems themed “I am a Super Hero and I Fight Hunger” that focused on the shared tradition of caring for others - Tzadekah and Zakat.

After their first meeting students often have many questions for their new friends. Of course, food tends to be a major topic. What are traditional Jewish foods and why? What do you eat on your Muslim holidays? Where is the most holy place for Jewish people? How many letters are in your alphabet? Do you pray a lot? We have a mezuzah on our door. Do you have special things in your home? How are bunnies and eggs related to Easter? What are the head coverings called? Do only girls cover their head? Why? Teachers have students write their questions and over the course of the workshops, time is allotted to answer the questions in a small group format. In a public school setting, the questions are more about culture and traditions rather than faith.

The key to the success of this project are the poet-educators. Poetry Pals chooses facilitators from diverse faith traditions and cultural and ethnic backgrounds who are in tune with the mission of the project. Some are musicians or poets. Others are educators. The facilitators are trained to work in small groups for 60 minutes, reading poetry, demonstrating techniques and guiding the students as they write and dialogue in an open, safe, and non-judgmental environment. Poems are often written in pairs or in groups, as well as, individually. “ I love to see students from diverse backgrounds and cultures come together, get to know one another, and begin to develop understanding of one another. To build human bridges across communities is very rewarding,” says Sue Levine, also a facilitator with the program. Poet-educator, Naazish YarKhan, couldn’t agree more. “The program really is about celebrating our own traditions as much as it about celebrating our differences. Having grown up in an India, where people of all faiths mingled and celebrated each others faiths without the slightest of hesitation, I really see the value of such a program. The need is especially greater when children attend full-time, faith-based schools. It brings down barriers. You see a friend, rather than ‘the other’. “

The service-learning component is crucial because it models the importance of community service which is a crucial element of all faiths. Also, by accomplishing a task together the students strengthen their friendships, gain a sense of empowerment and pride, and learn that both faith traditions share similar values. The service-learning project at IFS and St. Pius Catholic School will focus on the environment.

Poetry Pals recommends that groups meet a minimum of three times. The more participants meet, the deeper topics can be explored and relationships developed. The challenge for most groups is scheduling. “We are continuously seeking funding to become sustainable,” says Yates. “Although at this point we rely on volunteers, we often need to pay some poet stipends, bus transportation to schools and the service-learning site, art materials, and printing the children’s poetry. In 2007-2008, many items were covered by in-kind donations from the schools and volunteers.”

“Today there is more awareness about the need to bring diverse communities together to encourage dialogue and create trust. Many programs are being initiated on college campuses and in faith based communities for youth groups and adults. However, we have not seen many programs targeting elementary aged children,” she adds. “We feel this is imperative for several reasons. It sends a very powerful message to children that the adults in their lives value interfaith dialogue. Also, we believe that creating friendships while young and interacting through art, poetry, games and service helps children see how much they have in common and breaks down stereotypes they may be exposed to from the media, in their community or even in their home. And, we all know that engaging in interfaith programs and sharing our stories and traditions, gives us a sense of pride.”

Poetry Pals has also begun to partner with other community organizations. The project at the synagogue and church was done in collaboration with Changing Worlds. www.changingworlds.org This wonderful group works within schools with large immigrant populations and has students tell their stories through language and art. Changing Worlds also conducts teacher training.

Introducing Poetry Pals in your area is a wonderful way to bring community together.
Poetry Pals committee members and the coordinator welcome any questions or comments. poetrypals@sbcglobal.net; www.poetrypals.org; 215-317-0027

Poem Samples
The Flavors of Ramadan and Hanukah
Group Poem

Latkes are potatoish pancakes of steamy, crispy goodness
that we eat
at Hanukah.
Biryani is a ricey dish with carrots, orange, tomatoes red,
and
cinnamon sticks brown.
And we eat it at Ramadan.
Gelt is a thing that you win at a dreidel game, chocolate
goodness, hard and coin formed that we eat at Hanukah.
Samosas are spicy, crunchy, and come in many
shapes that we eat at Ramadan
Sufganyot are doughy, jellyfish things that stick to our
fingers at Hanukah.
And dates are the soft, wrinkled, dry and lumpy oversized
grapes that are good even though it does not sound like it,
that we eat at Ramadan.

Sounds in Our Kitchens

Moms in the kitchen
Sisters in the bath
Dads at work,
But it’s almost time to laugh.
Gather around the table
We’re having a good time.
We’re talking together, because
It’s family time.
By: Suha and Shana

Our moms love to cook.
Sounds like mixing eggs and baking,
washing dishes and making dinner.
Even though we are different, we all come together
In the kitchen.
By: Madina and Haley

Thunderstorm

I am a thunderstorm
Wet, soggy
Blurry and fresh

I remind people of spring
I am scared of the sun,
I want people to stay inside and have no fun.

I don’t like umbrellas
So people can go outside and take a shower.
Animals don’t like me because I’m
Wet, yet, I have no fret.

I laugh at the crying grass when it’s so wet
My only friend is lightning, and
That the sun is so frightening.

By: Medina, Ilyssa, Raihan and Sameer