The Business Times Budding Artists Fund International Children’s Art Exchange
Date: 20 and 21 December 2008

Time: 11am - 5pm

Venue: The Little Arts Academy

“I cannot do all the good that  the world needs, but the world needs all the good I can do”

– Jana Stansfield

For 2 days in December, 20 children from The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (Singapore) and Budding Artists Fund Japan got to exchange stories, create robots, make popiah and learn to hip-hop together as part of the inaugural Business Times Budding Artists Fund International Children’s Art

Exchange in Singapore at The Little Arts Academy.

Organised Budding Artists Fund Japan and The Business Times Budding Artists Fund, this first exchange between was initiated by The Arts House and its Japanese counterpart the NPO Budding Artists Fund Japan (BAFJ), a charity based in Tokyo which adopts the BT BAF name and structure and curriculum. NPO BAFJ was founded in December 2006 as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between The Arts House and its Japanese counterpart, Craftarts Co. NPO BAFJ is one of two charities in Asia which has adopted the BT BAF model, the other being MY BAF in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

The beneficiaries of NPO BAFJ for the International Children’s Art Exchange programme were six children aged between 10 and 12 years old from a children’s home, Shakujii Gakuen, in a Western part of Tokyo that is managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The children from the home live apart from their parents either as a result being abandoned, victims of domestic violence or are from underprivileged families.

Says Ms Kyoko Hasegawa, a director of NPO BAFJ: “Many believe that Japan is a rich country and that there are no poor. This is partially true in that most Japanese have a home and have three meals day. But a house and food does not feed the heart and soul. If you watch the news on TV in Japan, you will realise there are many in society who have mental or emotional problems resulting in many ‘crazy’ incidents taking place. However, if people have a chance to learn how to express themselves in their childhood, their life would perhaps be different and our society would be better. In Japan, there are many children who cannot live with their parents because of financial problems or because of the domestic violence or because their parents are too young to support a child. BAFJ wants to be provide support somehow, by giving them some opportunity to express themselves through arts. With this exchange programme with BT BAF in Singapore, we hope that Japanese children will learn that there is a world outside of Japan and by going to another country, such as Singapore, and meeting with the children there who think about the world differently and speak a different language our Japanese children will realise that the possibilities of life are much more than what they think of in Japan.”

This spirit of exchange was definitely evident through the workshops, as BAF J shared traditional Japanese toys, songs and landmarks through Degi Kami-shibai (Digital Picture Story) and BT BAF also shared a popiah culinary workshop with BAF Japan, drawing on the similarities between sushi rolls and popiah.

Says Phan Ming Yen, Director, Social Enterprise, The Arts House which manages BT BAF: “International exchange is becoming increasingly important if not necessary in this interconnected world of the 21st century. Through this programme in which children from different cultures and societies around the world will get to learn about each other and share their experiences through the arts, we hope that the sessions will broaden the mind and experience of the individual child, letting him or her know that indeed, no child is alone in the world, that always there is someone else in another part of the world who is also sharing his or her ups and downs, sorrows and joys. We hope too that new friendships will emerge from this exchange programme and from this we shall further develop and refine this programme so as to able to include more children from around the world for the future art exchanges.”

At the end of the camp it was very hard to say goodbye. One of our volunteers, Ms Carolyn Lee said, “The camp taught me how to be a good friend and to also be responsible. Other then helping the Singaporean children and Japanese children forge strong friendships, I had the chance to befriend the Japanese children and learn more about traditional toys from Japan through the digital story-making workshop. The children from Japan were mostly from broken families and some were even victims of domestic violence. I am really glad to be part of a team of volunteers who was given a chance to make a difference in their lives and also provide them with a few days of fun. Given a chance, I would definitely want to come back and help out in future international art exchanges.

If Budding Artists Fund can bring together children from different parts of the world, and if in that moment we can share our experiences through art, then in that moment, language differences are overcome through the language of art, and the world has been brought just a little bit closer. If in that moment, children forget their troubles and find a friend who can provide a listening ear, then perhaps the troubles will seem a little lighter.

From all of us at The Little Arts Academy, to the children of NPO BAFJ, “ja mata ne!” (English translation: “See you again soon!”).

For the popiah recipe, please visit http://muxmag.mobrick.com/users/14/issues/10
For LAA programme information, please email adelina_ong@toph.com.sg or call 6513 3013.