February 18, 2021

Takhiel! Imagine! Bilingual Performing Arts Camp for Kids

by Nailah Taman | in classes

This summer, Mizna collaborates with teaching artists Taous Khazem and Mohammed Yabdri to offer a performing arts camp in Arabic and English for middle-school kids who are ready to hit the big screen. Takhiel! Imagine! is a place for kids of SWANA descent to build community and create art in a setting that celebrates their cultural traditions and spoken language. Campers will learn the basics of how to make a short film––including character development, prop building, storyboarding, and setting and filming scenes. Taous and Mohamed will work to include all actors, including employing techniques they have found can work to lift up learners who might be more self-conscious about acting.
The first week will be spent building ensemble and creating characters, simple costumes, and props. The second week will be spent developing storyboards, and shooting the film. The film will be edited by Mohammed and all campers and parents will be invited to a virtual celebration and premiere of the film.
The camp will take place in an outdoor, COVID-safe setting.

ترجمة عربية

REGISTER HERE

WHO

Learners ages nine to fourteen. 10 campers max. Class be taught in both English + Arabic. No fluency in either language required.

WHAT

$300 per camper. We may be able to offer some need-based scholarships. contact nailah@mizna.org for more info. Costume materials and individual camp kits included. Lunch is not provided–please pack a peanut-free lunch for your camper. Individually wrapped peanut-free snacks will be provided.

WHERE

Camp will take place at the Fridley Community Center. Activities will be held outdoor each day in the park and outdoor patio surrounding the center. Campers will have access to an indoor bathroom, running water, and a refrigerator. Rainplan TBD.

WHEN

9am to 3pm, June 14–25, M–F

DAILY SCHEDULE

8:50–9:00am DROPOFF
9:10–10:30am ACTIVITIES
10:30am SNACK TIME
10:45am–12pm ACTIVITIES
12–12:30pm LUNCH (NOT PROVIDED)
12:30–2pm ACTIVITIES
2–2:15pm SNACK TIME
3–3:10pm PICKUP

COVID PROTECTIONS

Staff and campers will be required to adhere to the COVID guidelines below.

DAILY COVID ASSESSMENT
Each camper or guardian will be required to fill out a daily COVID assessment before participating in the program. Anyone with a temperature of 100 or higher will not be allowed to participate. Campers must be fever-free for at least 72 hours without medication before returning to the program. We highly recommend campers have a negative COVID-19 test before returning to camp as well. Instructors will be in touch regarding assessment specifics closer to the camp. We may update COVID-19 safety procedures in response to shifting COVID realities and in order to comply with state and federal recommendations.

COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS
Campers will be required to wear masks. Exceptions will be made for eating and drinking when safely distanced. We require masks that follow CDC guidelines, and we will have extra disposable masks available for necessary situations.Campers will be required to sanitize hands upon arrival and at other points throughout the day. We will provide sanitizer, and campers are encouraged to bring their own. Hand washing will be mandatory prior to all meal and snack times. FULL SAFETY GUIDELINES HERE.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS

Teaching artists Taous Khazem and Mohamed Yabdri are seasoned teaching artists of Algerian origin. Taous will teach in English and Mohamed in Arabic. Each has vast experience developing theater and film projects and have done extensive work with youth throughout the Twin Cities and in Algeria. In 2018, Taous and Mohamed created a school residency in French at L’Etoile du Nord French Immersion School on the East Side of Saint Paul and expanded the program to grades 1–5 through a Minnesota State Arts Board Arts Learning Grant in the 2019–2020 school year. Taous currently serves as the Theatre Director for Blake Upper School.

SUPPORTED BY

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.