Refugee and Immigrant Students Empowered (RISE)
In the spring of 2011 CRIT began offering a new afterschool program called Refugee and Immigrant Students Empowered (RISE) through the Nashville After Zone Alliance (NAZA) in the South Central Zone. NAZA is a partnership of the Mayor's Office, afterschool providers, and MNPS that fosters coordinated, high-quality afterschool programming both at schools and community sites for MNPS students in geographically-defined zones.
Around 30 students enrolled in RISE at Cameron Middle School and an additional 15 students enrolled at a community-based site. We would like to thank Bethel World Outreach Church for their partnership which enables us to offer RISE at a community-based site where students live, thus eliminating the transportation barrier. To read more about Bethel please visit www.bethelworld.org.
NAZA's results:
- In its first year, NAZA has already yielded impressive results. To read more about NAZA's success in its first year please click here or visit nashvillez.org
Pictures from RISE 2011
Spring 2011 NAZA programming recently came to an end. CRIT offered the R.I.S.E - Refugee and Immigrant Students Empowered - afterschool program for public school students at two sites. CRIT staff provided homework help, English instruction, and encouraged students' artistic expression through a partnership with ArtEMBRACE. The pictures below are from the end of the year celebration at Hadley Park.
McMurray RISE students participate in a fun run as part of the Mayor's health and nutrition education program.
Nashville Mayor Karl Dean chats with students from the McMurray RISE program operated by CRIT in partnership with Bethel World Outreach Church.
Paintings from McMurray RISE students behind pottery from Cameron RISE students, representing both of the groups CRIT worked with this semester.
Paintings from Cameron RISE students.
Detail from a painting by a Cameron RISE student.
A painting by a McMurray RISE student.
Pottery from Cameron's ArtEMBRACE lesson on display.
Students from the McMurray community-based site and their teacher, CRIT intern John Schellhase, enjoy art from other NAZA students.
RISE students enjoy a dance performance at the year-end celebration.
Photos courtesy MNPS and ArtEMBRACE. To see more pictures of the event, please visit ArtEMBRACE's NAZA photo album on facebook.
Please contact Marielle Lovecchio at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information about the RISE program.