On the 18th June two special guests are visiting Northern Ireland from BuildaBridge International (Philadelphia). Executive Director Ami Yares and Director of Community Programming & Research, Dr. Janelle Junkin.
The visit is part of the international #ArtsDialogue programme and their time in Northern Ireland will include activities for Refugee Week, Music Day, Omagh Mid Summer Carnival & Young Hearts & Minds Conference. Represented by Ami Yares, BuildaBridge are part of the #ArtsDialogue partnership - a collective of musicians, artists, producers, writers & peace activists from around the Globe.
Ami Yares is a professional musician & the executive director of BuildaBridge International (BaB). BaB is an arts intervention NGO that uses trauma-informed programming to instill hope and healing in vulnerable populations. The team consists of teaching artists and board certified arts and music therapists who work in tandem with another. Based in Philadelphia, BaB has provided over 18 years of trauma-informed art making all over the world. BaB currently works with refugees who have experienced torture, Latina domestic abuse survivors and youth in and around Philadelphia. Ami Yares has also been involved in Heartbeat – an organisation uniting Palestinian & Israeli Youth through Music.
Dr. Janelle Junkin. Dr. Junkin is a board-certified music therapist and an independent researcher currently conducting a Program Impact Evaluation for the Armed Services Arts Partnership, Washington DC. She has taught at various universities in the Philadelphia region and is currently an adjunct professor at Harrisburg University, Philadelphia campus. Dr. Junkin works with BuildaBridge International as the Director of Community Programming and Research. She is the co-founder of unlock Ngenuity which focuses on consulting, creativity, and community through therapy, coaching and research. She is published in the Journal of Applied Arts & Health and the International Journal of Education & the Arts. Her areas of research include child and youth identity development, the role of the arts in conflict transformation, and understanding the community arts and creative arts therapists as vehicles that provide hope and healing to people and communities in crisis.
BuildaBridge NI programme is supported by IBIS Belfast Hotel, Community Relations Council, North Down & Ards Borough Council, Community Foundation Northern Ireland & Femanagh & Omagh District Council.