How do we address significant dropout rates amongst vulnerable youth? In New York State, 46 institutions of higher learning have joined together to support at-risk middle and high school students in their academic, social, and emotional development. This statewide collaboration, known as the Liberty Partnerships Programs (LPP), is a cohort of individualized academically-focused, student-support programs housed at different educational institutions, each dedicated to engage schools and community partners to offer research-based interventions supporting both students and their families throughout the entirety of the secondary education and pre-collegiate process.
New York University is home to one of New York State’s Liberty Partnerships Programs. The Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) at NYU Metro Center shares comprehensive student support services designed to develop the academic, psychological, social, and developmental skills of our students. Under the leadership of Director Yolanda Fordham, NYU LPP provides an array of holistic and dynamic services to address the needs of the “whole student,” including tutorial services, mentoring, socio-emotional counseling, career and college exploration activities, and enrichment.
To celebrate and highlight the achievements of student artists within their program, the Liberty Partnerships Program at NYU Metro Center held its second Annual Art Installation at NYU’s Kimball Hall. This public-facing exhibit featured the work of LPP students from New York City’s Landmark High School. The presentation showcased a diverse range of student artwork, with each piece reflecting the student's unique perspective, passion, and personal journey.
One of the participating student artists from Landmark High School, Mariyam Soumare described how she developed both a strong appreciation for the late Civil Rights advocate, Malcolm X, and the amazing art piece she would ultimately create for the art show. Mariyam explained what truly inspired her “...was the fact that I had learned so much on Malcom X that I truly couldn't get it out of my mind, and how moved I was by his actions, [discipline, societal impact], and his overall [life] story as well. [In creating an art piece for the show] I wanted to try and draw [Malcolm X] as I view him, with his usual, captivating and stoic expression.”
Mariyam also described how she overcame her initial doubts with the help of her art teacher, Ms. Amanda. Ms. Amanda provided Mariyam, and all the students in her classroom with the necessary guidance, support and affirmation they would need to successfully complete each of their art pieces. Mariyam’s confidence, along with that of her fellow high school students, grew as a result of this process.
That’s a far cry from the sentiments Mariyam and her classmates expressed at the beginning of the semester. At the start of the Landmark High School Art class. Mariyam “... swore up and down that [she] couldn’t, wouldn’t, and shouldn’t be an artist.” Over the course of several weeks of instruction and demonstration of drawing practices from Ms. Amanda, Mariyam steadily saw her artistry improve. Mariyam remarked, “throughout the year I still had my doubts, but I feel I've come so far with any skill that we went over in Ms. Amanda’s class. Mariyam continued, “my favorite part, and I'm not going to lie, was finishing [the art project for the show]. In a candid moment the NYU LPP participant remarked, “I didn't hate it, I did so much better [with my final art submission] than I would've probably even a week prior to learning that skill of drawing portraits, … I was glad to see how far I had come.”
Fellow Liberty Partnerships Program student participant, Assietou Dang, described the inspiration for sculpture as stemming from the many conflicts and great suffering currently going on in the world. Assietou reflected, “I would say what inspired my final art project was pain, because it was about the pain that’s happening around the world and I wanted to represent it in my art piece.” This Landmark High School student also shared that she too experienced some personal trepidation prior to completing her part of the project for the art show. Assietou exclaimed that she was “... super excited, but also nervous to start the art piece because it was my first time using clay.” A bolder, more confident Assietou would comment that “... in the end I was so happy I went with that choice of medium, and I think it looks exactly how I interpreted it!”
My favorite part of the project was definitely the sculpting part because it was very intimate and it was very emotional to watch my piece slowly come to life so that part was really cool!
The exhibit was a testament to the student’s dedication and experimentation, as well as the supportive guidance of their art teacher, Ms. Amanda.
One does not arrive at a stellar student art installation by accident. A great deal of planning, learning, and growth must happen along the way to foster this progress. LPP Art Instructor, Ms. Amanda, was one of the first to witness the change in the students. At the beginning of the semester, Ms. Amanda taught calligraphy to her students. She steadily demonstrated the integrity of the art to her LPP students at NYC’s Landmark High School, highlighting “the art of beautiful writing,” with a great emphasis on the corresponding discipline and focus necessary to execute the calligraphy techniques. Progressing further, the students started exploring various shapes, patterns, and techniques to holistically portray their art. From there, they experimented with various mediums, building their confidence and further honing their skills. By the end of the year, the ideas that the students came up with were their passion projects. By developing and trusting their skills, they were able to choose their own adventure and work on a project that aligned with their creative interests and goals.
Akin to NYU LPP core philosophy, Ms. Amanda had fostered a nurturing environment where students felt empowered to take risks and explore their creativity. NYU LPP plays a crucial role in supporting students by building a network of support involving caregivers, teachers and mentors. By fostering these relationships and keeping open lines of communication, NYU LPP offers a variety of educational, personal and professional opportunities. NYU LPP helps students become active participants in their learning communities and navigate their development through high school and beyond. Both the students' art, as well as their personal development and growth has been truly inspiring. The NYU LPP art showcases not only provided a necessary outlet for youth participants to share their work, but also empowered them to utilize their own respective voices. Congratulations to the students of the Liberty Partnerships Program at NYU Metro Center on their achievements!