Our twelfth episode of the Creative Flow: Thinkers and Change Agents Podcast Series features five students who attended the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Program in Myanmar in 2018 and 2019. This episode is the second part of our series about this program of the State University of New York, Buffalo State's International Center for Studies in Creativity founded by John Cabra, Ph.D.  The participants usedCreativity to transform, make history, and profoundly impact the people of Myanmar.
Rakia Akter is a fourth-grade teacher in Buffalo who traveled to Myanmar to connect with people, cultures, and languages. This life-changing experience helped her be a better teacher and relate with her students and parents who immigrated from this country. Matthew Burch has a BFA in wood working and furniture design from SUNY Buffalo State and is a US Army Vet who went to Myanmar to work on new and improved techniques for funeral caskets. This work led to an opportunity to design a guitar-shaped casket for a beloved local musician and activist. This project became a life-changing experience for a new designer that made him part of the country's history.
Jeremy Brewster participated in the Myanmar program twice and worked for over a year to develop a unique course to help students express themselves through art. This class became a unique, shared experience for people who don’t usually learn art at school and brought the students and teachers closer together. Ashley Daigle is an arts educator in Buffalo who was involved in delivering this course at a Monastery School and discussed co-creating a large piece of art. She discovered the difference and connection that art can make in lives. Maggie Giamo is a Visual Arts instructor in Buffalo Public Schools and a freelance artist who also taught the class. She discusses how she was able to connect with students at a profound level and shares her view of creative flow through the eyes of a teacher.
This emotional discussion discusses how the University's program brings more meaning to each student's life and the far-reaching impact they had on the people of Myanmar. Don't miss the stories of five students who became global citizens and worked together to make the world a better place.