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An Important Update on our Campaign to Build a School on the India/Nepal Border…
… if you were involved in any way with our Arts Marathon in the Spring, then this is an announcement you won’t want to miss! On 29th December, a team from our partner-charity (Elephant Thoughts) headed out to Northern India on our behalf, to try to cut through the bureaucratic red tape that has delayed the building of our school. The team of volunteers quickly ascertained that to build in the village of Bunkulung – as we intended – was going to be difficult, due to the operations of a local tribal council. It is important that our school get built as soon as possible, because Elephant Thoughts currently sponsors dozens of local kids to attend school, and in a few months many of them become too old for the existing school. They simply have no where to continue their education beyond Grade 5. So Jeremy (the President), and his Elephant Thoughts team, began to look elsewhere for land. Almost immediately, they were offered a three-quarter acre plot in Mirik, a community 8km from Bunkulung. There, it would be possibly to build immediately. And as with Bunkulung, there is no school to meet the needs of poor families from Grade 5 upwards. They emailed us with the exciting news, and asked our permission to apply all the funds we raised to the school-build in Mirik. Because of its proximity to Bunkulung, our school in Mirik will serve many of the same children. It will also serve youngsters from isolated villages, who will board with local families in Mirik, in order to continue their education.

And we’ve made progress already!

The ground-breaking ceremony happened a few days ago, and local labourers are now working hard to clear the land. There is a huge amount of excitement about the project, and a local Buddhist monk performed a special ceremony to bless the land. It is hoped that within 3-6 weeks, construction on the walls will begin. The cost will be slightly higher than anticipated, as the donated land is sloping, and a retaining wall must be built. Even so, it’s in budget! Phrase One of the school will include 3 classrooms, a washroom and a kitchen (since these kids are from very poor families, serving them a meal during the day is considered essential). The school will also have electricity, and necessary plumbing. The school foundations will be built in such a way that an additional floor – and a further 3 classrooms – can be added in a couple of years, with a third floor projected 3 years after that. Jeremy hopes that there will be money left in the budget for desks, blackboards and the beginnings of a school library. We will be holding an additional fund-raiser in November to help with this.

We will begin to educate our first students in May!

Yes, exactly a year from the fund-raiser – not bad! The students sponsored by Elephant Thoughts actually enter Grade 6 in March, but the local elementary school has agreed to house their class until our school is ready in May, meaning their education will continue without interruption.

The Centauri school is going to be a very special place, because the student body will comprise of literally the poorest kids from all the neighbouring villages. Kids who have rarely been used to having enough to eat, and for whom the thought of an education would have been inconceiveable a few years ago. Elephant Thoughts has supported dozens of these kids for the past few years. They give the families an allowance of $125 per year, to cover the cost of school lunches, books and uniform. But without our school, all these kids would have to end their education at Grade 5 – either because there is no school at all for them, or because the school fees are just too high. The kind of kids we are going to be helping, are used to tremendous hardship to attend school, if they get a chance at all. One example is a little boy Nima, 9 years old, who currently walks 2.5 hours each direction through the mountains and jungle to get so school every day from his remote Nepal Village. Our plan, since these kids come from so many remote places, is to create a system of paid billets where the children will live with local families during the week. Elephant Thoughts, in its on-going sponsorship of these kids, will pay their hosts to house and feed them. This gives the kids a normal home environment when in many cases they come from anything but, and provides an income for some local families. The kids will return for weekends and holidays.

So that’s it: the project is underway! Please forward this email to every one of your contacts who helped us in making the project a reality. I’ve attached some photographs from Mirik. Jeremy returns to Canada in February, and we should have more information and photos for you then!

WITH HUGE THANKS TO YOU ALL…

Julie, Craig & Cheryl
Centauri Arts

Centauri Arts Camp is a sleep over arts camp for kids ages 9 to 18. Located in the Niagara region of Canada, we run over 40 specialty programs including dance camps, theater camps, writing camps, fine Art camps, film camps and more!

On 20th August, Cheryl, Andrea and I set out with 16 intrepid adventurers for the thirteenth annual Centauri International Tour – this time, to Scotland! Here’s a little record of our adventures…

Day 1

Our overnight flight was delayed due to Tornado warnings, but we arrived safely in Glasgow, and boarded our coach for the short journey to Edinburgh, where we checked into our ultra-modern, five star hostel, and headed excitedly into the centre of Edinburgh. Jet Leg? What Jeg Lag? (More of that later). We took an orientation walk around old Edinburgh, had a whistelstop introduction to the crazy turbulence of Scottish history, learned about the Stone of Destiny, then headed into the castle to see it for ourselves. Edinburgh Castle has a dramatic vantage point on an outcrop of volcanic rock. In addition to the Stone of Destiny, we saw the Scottish Crown Jewels, the military museum, the dungeon prisons (with graffiti stretching back centuries), St. Margaret’s gorgeous 11th century chapel, and astounding views down over the city.

By dinner time, Jet Lag as catching up with us, as you can see from this photo. Many of us still managed to enjoy a traditional Scottish meal of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. However, as tour leader, I like to think of creative ways to combat jet lag, so this evening we went on a gruesome ghost tour that included the fascinating underground vaults of the old city. Thoroughly spooked, we headed back to our luxurious city hostel and attempted to sleep…

Day 2
Theatre and more theatre! Our first production at the Edinburgh Fringe (at the ridiculous hour of 10am) was actually one of the best – an Edward Gorey-esque production entitled The Doubtful Guest, which was a wonderful example of physical theatre. Unfortunately, many of us struggled to keep our eyes open.

The weather was gorgeous today, and there followed a lovely stretch of free time in which some of us shopped for souvenirs, others explored museums and a couple of us even snoozed. ‘Potted Potter’ was our next show – funny, but not as clever as we’d all hoped – after which we split into 2 groups depending on meal preferences, some of us sampling Edinburgh’s famous vegetarian restaurant while others enjoyed Indian food.

Tonight, at the hostel, our extended bedtime program included the gruesome story of Deacon Brodie, who was the real life inspiration for the famous novel ” Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde”.

Day 3
We woke to light drizzle today – but after all, this is Scotland! I decided that since the shops were closed – it being Sunday – we’d enjoy a hike to the top of Calton Hill. The campers thought I was – to coin a local phrase – a wee bit bonkers. However, by the time we were halfway up the hill, everyone was singing, in terrific spirits, and the clouds were parting to reveal sunshine. The view from the top of the hill was amazing. Well worth the walk. Here’s our only ‘full group’ shot of the entire tour, and another shot of the 3 intrepid leaders. Truth to tell, we were all in silly moods…

This afternoon, we split into 2 groups. Half of us headed to Scotland’s National Gallery, while the others returned briefly to the hostel for a writing workshop. After all, that’s why we’re all here, and many of us just can’t wait to get started…

Later, we met on Princes Street for our third Fringe show, ‘ The Girls of Slender Means’. You can never tell what you’ll get with Fringe productions. Sometimes, unexpected delights (as you’ll see later). But this production was unmemorable.

Seveal of us chose to stay on at the theatre to see a one woman show by the Scottish novellist A.L. Kennedy. It was entertaining, and a fabulous way to get into the spirit for the next few days.

Tonight was ‘Tartuffe’ as we never imagined we would see it… a modern adaptation that took huge liberties with the classical play, introducing mime, slapstick, theatre of cruelty and masses of amusing audience involvement. Half our campers ended up on stage in some way or other… except there wasn’t really a stage. The production took place in ‘C Soco’, a famous fringe venue that is basically a disused factory. Our campers truly saw the wonderful potential of theatre, and it was a great way to end of Edinburgh portion of the tour. As if this wasn’t enough, Neil Gaiman was in the audience, and we all got to meet him at the end.

Day 4
We left our hostel at 9am and headed North by coach, into the glorious scenery of the Scottish Highlands. Lunch was in Aviemore (a little ski town), then we made a 2 hour stop at Clava Cairns, where we explored the Neolithic burial chambers (hugely atmospheric, set in a forest glen, with the mountains as a backdrop). We took a hike in blazing sunshine to another burial chamber, just a short distance from the famous battlesite at Culloden. There, I told the story of Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Jacobite Rebellion, the terrible ’slaughter’ that was Culloden, and how Flora MacDonald helped the Prince escape into exile. The story was popular, but the names hard to remember (one camper’s rose, later that night, was the story of “Bonnie King Edward and Fiona MacDougall”)!!

Finally, in the late afternoon, we headed up into the Highlands, to our writing retreat, Moniack Mhor. This proved easier said than done. We were in a 17 tonne, 48 seater luxury coach, and although the centre director assured us this was no problem, and school groups arrived like this all the time, our driver refused to believe the single-track roads were passable. We spent a worrying hour, inching our way down narrow roads, until the retreat finally appeared.

And what a stunning place it was! Located halfway up a slope, with mountains in all directions, heather lying like a purple carpet in the fields, and sheep gazing at us in mild interest as we heaved our luggage out the coach. To top off the perfect arrival, Hamish (the Centre Director) had arranged for a bagpiper to be playing outside the front door. It was absolutely idyllic.

The centre was just as wonderful inside. Cute little bedrooms with gorgeous views over the hills. A lovely library. A main sitting room with a giant oak table for us to gather round. And our two resident writers – Alan Bisset and Maggi Gibson – were there to meet us. Everyone was so friendly… it was clear that in these surroundings, creativity was inevitable.

Day 5
This morning, Maggi ran a 2 hour poetry writing workshop, and this was followed by an afternoon of free writing time and exploration. Campers wandered off in groups to enjoy the glorious scenery, gathered round the kitchen table with our resident writers for stimulating conversations about life and literature, or disappeared into their bedrooms to begin work on individual writing projects that included novels, short stories, poetry and a play. During the afternoon, each of the resident writers told me how amazed they were by the talent, dedication and intellect of our group members! I was so proud… and continued to feel proud, as each camper read to me the projects they were working on. It was hard to say, until now, whether most of our group chose this trip to explore Scotland rather than to write. Now I’m pretty sure that writing was a central motivator for everyone.

Our first cooking team produced dinner tonight – an elaborate concoction involving roast, vegetables, dessert and vegetarian options.

Tonight, Maggi and Alan both read from their published novels/poetry collections, and we had an opportunity to ask them more about how they got started. Alan hung around with us all late into the night as we talked together. These informal chats are as vital to the writing week as the formal workshops are, and it’s fascinating to see how inspired we have all become.

Day 6
This morning, Alan ran a novel workshop that explored the importance of strong beginnings, then after lunch, we headed out for a half-day trip to Castle Urquart, on the banks of Loch Ness. We searched long and hard for the monster, of course. A few of our group insisted they had found it, and showed me a convincing video of them all screaming, while the camera dipped and lunged… but I’m a bit sceptical. Afterwards, we had free time in the local village – picturesque and tiny – before heading back to Moniack Mhor.

Tonight was a definite highlight of the trip, as a group of 10 teenage musicians arrived to lead us in a traditional Scottish Ceiladh (kaylee). We started with a getting-to-know-you circle outside on the grass, then a piper piped us inside, and for two hours we danced and tapped our feet, listening to fiddle music, Gaelic singing and even a harp. Joanna read her poetry, we all sang this summer’s Brant Song, and there was time for socialising at the end of the evening. In fact, it was tough to separate the two groups! The Celtic performance troupe is hoping to visit Canada next summer, so perhaps we ca host them all at Centauri.

Day 7
Today was a ‘get down to business’ writing day, which began with a workshop ru by Maggi, and still involved mini-hikes into the surrounding hills and glens. The evening ended with a discussion about books, and another storytelling session – this time, the story of the infamous Glencoe Massacre.

Day 8
Our last full day in this beautiful writing retreat that has begun to feel like a second home. Alan ran the workshop this morning, and in the afternoon everyone disappeared into their own projects, writing and editing frenetically, ready for this evening. Some of us still found time for a 6 mile hike up Abriachan Hill. From the top, the view was astounding.

Tonight, roles were reversed. Our two writers relaxed, while our campers read for them. Once again, we were astounded by the quality of work our campers produced. Most of them truly are writers in every sense of the word.

Before saying goodbye, our two wonderful writers thanked us all for being such a fantastic group, Maggi told us that she has taught dozens of writing workshops, but never encountered a group as talented and all-round wonderful as ours.

Day 9
We left at 5am this morning, stumbling out to the coach with our luggage as if leaving a dream. Alan was up at 5 to see us off, and we promised him we’d be out to support him ‘en masse’ when he reads at the Toronot International Festival of Authors in 6 weeks time. The drive down to Glasgow was like a mini-tour of the best scenery Scotland has to offer – every time I woke, mountains stretched off in all directions around us.

This tour has been a first for us – not driving from location to location performing, as the other 12 tours had been – but combining one amazing sight-seeing destination (Edinburgh) with a writing retreat. It has been such a success that we’ve bowed to pressure from the campers…

CONTRARY TO WHAT WE SAID THIS SUMMER, THERE WILL DEFINITELY BE ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL TOUR IN AUGUST NEXT YEAR!!!!!

It’s incredible to see the transformation in our campers, over the first 24 hours they are on camp. As we all gather in the dining hall, everyone is quiet. Some campers are jet-lagged, having travelled from the other side of the world. Others feel isolated, eager to make friends. They don’t know that this will be a place they can feel secure, take risks, discover more about themselves.

Then the transformation begins!

Even before the last parent leaves camp, Welcome Games are underway. Then, there’s a welcome meal. Campers spend time bonding with dorm friends, and getting excited about all the things they will be doing in program. Then, as the first evening program, they charge around camp together, taking team challenges and getting familiar with all the buildings.

Lunch on day two is entirely different from lunch day one! Campers link arms as they run into the dining hall. People stand on chairs, singing together and joining in dorm cheers. The volume is unbelieveable. There is live music, dancing shouting and laughter.

And that’s when we know that once again, the community magic will happen.

That’s when we know the new session truly is in full swing!

We learned, many years ago, that this is the question that annoys camp directors the most!

What do we do the rest of the year? When our last campers left, we orchestrated an enormous and exhausting clean-up and pack-up in a cloud of general euphoria. It was such a great summer… but there’s barely time to process that, as we work against time to transform an arts camp back to a school. Then, we drove an enormous truck full of supplies back to Toronto and unloaded all the gear. For several days, we worked to get the Toronto office back up and running again. And, briefly, we tried to relax. But camp directors are on call all the time. Our basement is full of lost property… and people want their stuff back in time for school. There are queries about the Scotland Tour, the DVD yearbook, dates and fees for 2009, and other such stuff. And the rest of the year? Here’s a brief low-down on our ‘to do’ list for the next few months…

September:
- meet with all program directors to discuss programs for 2009. Figure out the general program line-up.
- archive files, and get the office ready for 2009
- sort lost property, mail back Hunter’s swords
- write/design the first ads for 2009
- create newsletters for campers and staff
- sort out annual charity donations, and arts organisation memberships
- go through evaluations for summer 2008. Look at camper suggestions. Enter new email addresses
- finalise all plans for the Scotland Tour, and create the final handout
- hold Open House for the Scotland Tour

October:
-re-do the website. Edit all program desriptions as well as web and brochure copy. Design brochures and fliers
- interview assistant counsellors
- send out job offers to staff; hire senior staff for 2009
- finalise DVD Yearbook and film program DVDs, and mail out by early November.
- take bookings for the Scotland Tour

November:
REGISTRATION MONTH!!! Need I say more? Crazy busy. By the end of the month, we will have taken more than half our annual registrations.

December:
- hire all returning staff
- sending postings to universities and arts organisations for any new staff required
- plan and host the Winter Gathering for all Centauri staff
- design dozens of print and web ads, advertorials, etc.
- book all our camp fairs for the New Year
- meet with the families of new campers, as required
- continue taking large numbers of registrations
- begin buying major supplies for 2009 (car, computers, theatre lights etc. as needed)

So what do we do for the rest of the year? The same as we do in the summer: we make camp happen!

Session Two programs are now underway! I wandered round this morning, taking photographs (see http://www.centauri.on.ca/media/photos/photo2008b.htm) In “Theatre: The Three I’s” the campers were playing Mafia, begging Mladen for just one more round at the game. Everyone was engaged, involved, smiling. In “Writing – 13 Ways of Looking” the campers were sprawled under the Poet-Tree, two of them actually sitting in it. Below the tree, Glenn was reading to them. Some campers were writing, others listening. In “Acting with Sound and Fury”, campers were working on bringing the opening scene from Macbeth to life. Some played witches, others created movement pieces or used percussion instruments. Everyone critiqued each other’s work. The art campers were working quietly to peaceful music. The Musical Theatre campers were working on the number “Fame”, while wandering round the room with sheets of music. Outside, the sports pad is full of Stage Combat campers working on Quarterstaffe skills. Music flows out of the gym from the dance program. Laughter spills from Dan’s “Mystery Theatre” room. The Film campers are filming down in the studio – I can’t just wander in there.

So, all is peaceful. It’s a beautiful day – warm with a lovely breeze and no humidity. Everything is serene. Everyone is happy.

We love it here.

Camp is well underway with lots of things happening.
July 1st we celebrated Canada Day in Style, with 2 “historians” coming to camp and testing the campers knowledge, but they turned out to be aliens who wanted to dig up Canada for spices!! Needless to say their plans were thwarted by the campers!

Next day we had a great “2nd annual fort building night” with lots of sheets and cardboard and a lot of great imagination.

Last night we went crazy with ‘Rock night” spirit supper and then calmed things down with a gentle evening of campfire, storytelling and journalling.

The programs are all in full swing. It always amazes me how much the campers learn so quickly! I spent some time with the singers this morning – they sound AMAZING!

Craig

It’s 9pm, Friday night – 20th June. For the fourteenth consecutive year, I’m sitting amongst boxes in the bare Toronto office, staff training notes spread out in front of me, empty shelves above my desk and only the computer left to pack. Once again, summer is about to begin.

The final week before we leave for camp is always a crazy one – work rarely ends until after 10pm. Our basement is filled with arts and craft supplies, office supplies, theatre supplies and other bizarre items only camp directors ever buy in bulk… patio tables; bedsheets for craft use; candles for secret ceremonies; duct tape; photographic chemicals; jigsaw floor mats; signage; curtains. A big truck stands outside, waiting to be filled. Across Canada and the US, the 60 special people who will be our camp staff this summer are currently packing bags, enjoying a final family meal, and going over their workshop plans one last time. Over the next 3 days they will converge on an empty school, and together we will transform it into a magical place.

Our first campers arrive 9 days from now!

Day Trips, Festivals and more!
We have now confirmed the day trip for session two. We will be going to see Wonderful Town, the musical playing at the Shaw Festival this summer. It’s written by the people who brought us West Side Story, and is all about two young girls who travel to New York to try to make their name as a writer and actress. It has a host of colourful characters, a fantastic score, and should be an amazing day for us all.
The session one day trip should be confirmed soon.

Theatre Festival – Session Three!Y es… we’re planning a special celebration of Physical Theatre for Session Three! We have a performance of The Fool’s Gold booked as the main presentation – an exciting Commedia Dell’Arte show that should have all of us rolling in the aisles. Also on the agenda is a production of The Masked Messenger, which celebrates the excitement and diversity of mask performance. The third act will be a clown performance. So, lots of fun and craziness there! There will be physical theatre workshops in the afternoon, too.

And Session Four: A Festival of Music!We’re now thrilled to announce that we have none other than DALA headlining our first ever Music Festival! Dala consists of Amanda and Sheila who met in high school and formed a band. They’re young – but making it big. They’ve toured with Tom Cochrane and Matthew Good, and are currently on tour with CBC’s Vinyl Cafe. In April, they’ll be opening for Ron Sexsmith. Dala describe themselves as ‘acoustic pop’. For more details, go to: www.dalagirls.com
We are also lucky to have great guitarist Cam McCarrol coming to do a workshop and play for us(see www.myspace.com/cammccarroll) and Ashley Condon (see www.myspace.com/ashleydcondon) a great upcoming singer/songwriter.

Last year, a parent asked us: “how do you create magic with teenagers as raw material?” As it happens, most of us at Centauri believe teens get a rough deal. The ones we know are creative, engaging, inspiring, talented individuals who give us reason to see hope for this planet’s future. And how do we create magic for them? Here’s one example.

Two nights ago, we held a ‘Midsummer Night’s Wedding’. The premise was that due to mischief on the part of Puck, the two sets of lovers from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ were not only married improperly, but had started to quarrel ridiculously. Campers arrived at the outdoor stage to find a massive row underway between the four of them, with Titania – decked out in a green gown strewn with leaves – unsuccessfully trying to restore peace. It was decided that the only way to reverse Puck’s ‘curse’ was to provide ten magical performances to restore harmony.

Campers went away in their presentation groups, and came back a half hour later. Titania taught everyone a beautiful, haunting melody, and singing this, the entire camp wove its way to the back fields. With the sunset behind them, campers presented their ‘gift’s to Titania – presentations varying from chants, to mime, to comedic stage combat and dance. The sun had set and night descended by the time the camp made its way back towards the outdoor stage, still humming the melody, and listening to the final presentation: a series of short poems. Then, we rounded the dining hall. As if by magic, the entire outdoor stage was lit by fairy lights. The four lovers lay in a deep, enchanted sleep on the stage, dressed in wedding clothes. The campers’ singing finally woke them, and a magical wedding took place under the stars.

Later, I told a Celtic bedtime story to the whole of Brant, as they lounged in ‘Cozy Corner’ in their pajamas, their eyes already heavy with sleep. It doesn’t matter how old you are – toddler, teen or senior – a bedtime story is always a treasured experience. And so, we rounded off the day with a special piece of magic, too.