Implementation of Art Programming at Buena Vista Migrant Farmworker Camp in Watsonville, CA

During the summer of 2013, I worked with a group of about 30 children at the Buena Vista Migrant Farmworker Camp in Watsonville, California through the organization Tutor Outreach Uniting Communities for Change (TOUCCh). The leaders Scott Hallgren and Andy Archibald recruit college students from San Jose and Santa Cruz to tutor the children during the school year and lead playtime activities during the summer. In the process, the children form strong bonds with the college students in addition to learning leadership skills through organized activities.

TOUCCh is imperative for these children because, much like national organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, it provides structured playtime and tutoring in order to empower these children for success in their lives.

Though TOUCCh occasionally offered coloring time for the children, art programming was not previously implemented on a regular basis. In my project, I introduced art programming that aimed to improve the self-esteem of the children at Buena Vista, along with the help of Hallgren and Archibald.