*the see and sprout project*
 
 
 
The See and Sprout Project is a creative collective, international exchange art workshop launched by Stacie Krajchir originally created for youth in Khao Lak Thailand affected by the 2004 Asian tsunami. The original Thailand workshops included children from the Duang Prateep Orphanage who lost their family, friends, homes and schools during the tsunami. Our goal is to bring the project to an underdeveloped country each year. International village children are guided to create visual images about their feelings and perceptions about themselves, their family and their community and to explore ways of translating these feelings to people who live outside their community. Our next stops include Mexico, South Africa and Vietnam. This project is dedicated bringing together kids from diverse backgrounds and communities and guide them to shoot photos, write, and connect with new friends. Each child is given a camera and taught the basics of photography, and participate in various workshops, and explorative field trips. Storytelling and using visual images and words is a powerful medium for youth to navigate memory, uncertainty, inner strength and curiosities. The project aims to raise their voices and expose youth to opportunities through assignments, workshops, and field trips. As they share their work, stories, and writing, they gain encouragement and a sense of purpose . Photographs combined with stories, captions and personal journal entries will be edited into a group exhibition as a means to share their experiences and explore the challenges they faced before the disaster, and continue to face in their daily lives. *All money raised from the sale of photos taken by the Thai orphans goes directly back to the child who shot the photo--giving them an understanding of self sufficiency. We continue to explore how their lives are now and how they move forward having lost so much. The participants come from various cultures and communities that have had little exposure to each other’s unique cultures. In Thailand this included Buddhists, Muslims, indigenous Moken and children of migrant workers from Burma. We try to do the same in every location we visit-- explore the human spirit through creative expression and connect unique cultures. Up Next : our project is currently taking place beautiful mexican town of Sayulita in December 2008 we are working with the children of The Costa Verde International School, the first “green school” in the country of Mexico. And we will also be working with The Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza A.C. orphanage. This is their journey. Sometimes we have to ask what is our intention, this is mine.