“Arts, Social Justice, & Human Rights” Class Meets with NYC High School Students
This week, the “Arts and Social Justice” class, taught by Fadi Skeiker, had the joy of welcoming eight incredible high school students from the NYCHA Amsterdam Houses Tenants Association in NYC. Together, students explored what it means to build, defend, and reimagine community through theatre.
In one of the central exercises, students were divided into two groups—each tasked with inventing a new island. One group imagined a naturalistic island, rooted in organic life and balance. The other built a technological island, wired and future-facing. They created chants, embodied their landscapes, and made frozen images that told the story of their worlds.
Then came the twist: an earthquake strikes, and one island must seek refuge on the other.
What followed was a powerful negotiation: Who gets to leave? Who gets to stay? What makes a place worth defending—and what makes it worth sharing?
Students debated migration, safety, resources, and identity with clarity and heart.
One student shared the insight: “It’s hard to ask for help when you’ve been made to feel less than.”
This class focused on presence rather than performance, and was about using theatre as a space to listen, imagine, and witness one another. This exercise served as a reminder that justice work starts in rooms like this—with questions, collaboration, and care.
This visit was supported by Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) at Fordham University.