Content Preview: rss
495 days ago
We recently learned that the PanimWorks video has won a CINE Golden Eagle Award in the Professional Non-Fiction Division. This is the highest award a video of this kind can win! If (for some reason) you haven't seen the video yet, you can view it here.
504 days ago
Tuesday afternoon all of our PanimWorks groups arrived safely at base camp. Greeting the participants as they unloaded their vans, everyone was beaming with smiles and brimming with excitement to share with me their experiences throughout the week. It has been such a thrill for me to hear how thoughtful and reflective the PanimWorks students have been. Collecting submissions for the PanimWorks blog has given me a window into many of the participants' encounters on the trip It is truly amazing that we have been able to stay connected throughout our travels. Certainly one of the greatest challenges for me, was simply staying in touch in some of the more rural parts of the reservation. Earlier in the week when I was driving from Cove, NM to the Hopi reservation, there were many times that I would not see another car on the road for sometimes 15 miles. Cellphone service was sparse as were towns and businesses. Watching the landscape change, and realizing just how expansive and ...
505 days ago
Over the last week, I have been traveling to each of our three groups, spending a few days at each site. Beyond the tremendous work that has completed in their respective projects, I have been touched by the communities that have been built. Each group considers itself to be a family; a diverse spectrum of young leaders that have come together to support one another, help each other grow and build bridges between themselves and their Native American hosts. As the groups depart the Reservation today, there is deep sense of accomplished, as well as sadness, leaving their host families. All participants are healthy and happy. Stay in touch for more pictures upon our return to base camp later today. Andy---Cleveland, OH (PanimWorks Lead Educator)
505 days ago
It's our last day on the Navajo Reservation and it is incredible to look back on my experiences. I have made such great friends on this trip and our group has truly bonded over everything we've been through. We began spending our days at a nearby veterans memorial where we worked alongside our hosts and their family members. I helped dig holes, build fences, mix concrete, hoe a cornfield, and paint a Hogan, a traditional Navajo dwelling. One of my favorite parts of the trip occurred two days ago on Shabbat. We were told to bring only a water bottle, sunscreen, and a rain jacket, and were placed in a secluded area in the forest, nearby our campsite for a little over an hour. Through this experience I ended up learning about myself and my surroundings. I entertained myself by singing songs and dancing alone. I learned that I don't need to be thinking or contemplating life to have a spiritual experience, rather focusing on being in the moment and appreciating my ...
505 days ago
Today is July the 7th and we just got out of a sweat lodge. We left camp in the late morning and went to our Navajo friend Patrick's house. There, the seven men of the group made an enormous fire, heating up stones. Patrick then took the stones and placed them in the sweat lodge, a small underground mud "cave". We took 4 turns inside the sweat lodge, soaking up the heat from the stones and cleansing our bodies and minds...The sweat lodge was by far the most intense experience of my life. Our chanting, yelling, praying, and meditating invigorated me, shaking my emotions and strengthening my spiritual beliefs. Noam--Upper Montclair, NJ
