Al-Bustan Camp provides high school students in 9th – 12 grades an opportunity to participate in a full-day program of video, music, drama, art, and Arabic language instruction.
Arabic
Language instruction is an integral part of the Camp experience. Through daily 45-minute Arabic sessions, teen campers have structured exposure to the Arabic language that focuses on practical spoken Arabic related to the topics covered in their arts program.
Video
Video is a an engaging medium that allows teenagers to creatively tell their stories and explore aspects of their culture and identity. For the first four years, video was taught by filmmaker and media educator Dahna Abourahme, and co-taught for two years by educational anthropologist Thea Abu El-Haj. With 3-hours daily of video program, the teens, learn video-making skills, share in lively discussion, and edit two short collective videos which are screened at the end of camp and throughout the school year at various venues. Past topics have included stereotypes, immigration/migration, gender, and Palestinians in Philadelphia.
Music, Drama, and Art
Along with the video program, teens have other means of creative self-expression through 2-hours of music, drama, and art which are offered on a rotating weekly basis.
