Reel Youth - University of the Middle East

In 2009, Erica Køhn represented Reel Youth as one of the Guest Instructors for the University of the Middle East Project's 'Collaborative Arts Initiative (CAI)' in Morocco. She co-taught with faculty member, Liz Gruenfeld, to facilitate the creative collaborative arts process using interactive games and exercises as well as a filmmaking program. This film was co-created using footage from Reel Youth's filmmaking program at CAI and Erica's documentation of the Collaborative Arts Initiative in Morocco.

Collaborative Art Initiative (CAI), of the University of the Middle East Project, was an intellectual, academic, creative, and inter-cultural exchange exchange among educators, youth and faculty from diverse communities in North America, Italy and Morocco. Together, participants explored using collaborative art to foster creativity, self-expression and critical thinking across disciplines and to promote cooperation for more inclusive communities, both locally and globally.

The CAI is a dynamic, two-phase educational and cultural exchange program of the University of the Middle East Project (UME), which took place during 2008 in the U.S. and 2009 in Morocco. In combination, the various elements of the program seek to capture the sense of sacredness in different spaces, the gift of the arts to humanity, and the feelings of freedom, bewilderment, change, and progress that creativity brings to individuals and communities. During all phases, the program includes a blend of classroom hours, creative practica, cultural activities, and visits to community sites and institutions, including art galleries, parks, youth centres, and sacred and historical sites. In sum, all of these aspects contribute to a cohesive learning experience about the power and potential of collaborative arts.