Dreams Flags at Philadelphia Free Library to Mid-July

We just wanted to let you know—better late than never!—about the wonderful Free Library of Philadelphia installation of Dream Flags!! For those of you who can enjoy it on-line, we’ve got pictures of it at:

http://www.dreamflags.org/news/10-11news/2011FLPInstallation.htm

 For those in the Philadelphia area, it’s up now in the main entrance of The Free Library Main branch at 20^th and Vine, right next to Logan Circle in Center City Philadelphia, and we hope you’ll have a chance to see it. So many people have already been admiring it every day since it went up at the end of May.

The exhibit went up when we were in Nepal with the Dream Flags. It was organized by Patti Stewart, one of our sixth grade parents, and Sandra Horrocks, the Vice President of External Affairs at the Free Library, so a BIG thanks to both of them!!

The Free Library installed the exhibit in a wonderful space in their main entrance with its 18-foot-high ceilings. Flags are exhibited from 17 feet off the ground all the way to knee level and are exhibited between all of the massive wall columns in this beautiful 1920’s building.  It features about 350 sample Dream Flags from 29 groups, and it’s a wonderful cross-section of ages, places, and schools. We’ve got several Philly branch libraries featured for the first time, along with Philadelphia School District Schools, many other regional schools and groups, and a sampling of flags from across the country and around the world—Washington, Louisiana, Texas, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Georgia, Delaware, Haiti, Nicaragua, Madagascar, and Belize!

Back Home With Dreams From Nepal

We returned to the USA with our load of Dream Flags and many new connections to Nepal on June 6th. It was, by all measures, a wonderfully successful trip. We owe a huge debt of thanks to Mary Seppala, Head of The Ages Irwin School and to Phurba Sherpa and Anne Keiser of The Greater Himalayas Foundation.

 Our project was received so warmly by all involved at the Khumjung School. Perhaps one of the most telling indicators was the Headmaster’s reading of his own Dream Flag poem from the stage when we had our celebration on May 27th. He also had all of our Dream Flags flying from when they went up to the culmination of their four-day celebration. They were seen by people from all over Nepal and all over the world—New Zealand, England, USA, Australia, and other countries as well.

We probably didn’t realize what a large event it was before we got there, and were very much honored at the way the project was embraced. On the final day, peers of the late Sir Edmund Hillary were there (some flown in because they are in their nineties.) The widow of one of Hillary’s closes friends said about The Dream Flag Project, “Ed would have loved this.” We hope that The Dream Flag Project that we all have created together reflects the spirit of compassion and dedication that Hillary’s work did. It’s certainly a “steep hill” to follow. Here’s a short video from Peter Hillary, son of Sir Edmund, commenting on what he thinks we can learn from the Sherpa today.

In terms of contacts, we made strong connections with the art, technology, and math teachers at the Khumjung School, and look forward to continuing relationship with them.

Also, here are other resource links from the trek.
General Information About The Trek From Agnes Irwin Web Site

Flickr Site with Photo Sets By Day

Vimeo Site with Videos
General Trek Videos
Sherpa Times Interview Videos

Yesshe’s Blog Narrating Trip With Photos and Videos

Sherpa Times Agnes Irwin 6th Grade Project (looks at Sherpa culture then and now)

Dreams Fly High in Philadelphia

5/9/11 We had a wonderful Dream Flag Celebration here in Philadelphia on Saturday thanks to the efforts of dozens of volunteer staff (about 40), teachers and students from all over our region, and flags and poems sent in from around the U.S. and as far away as Romania, Belize, Madagascar, Nicaragua, and Haiti. It was a gorgeous sprig day in May.  Some highlights were that:

1. Dozens of students from around our region read beautifully, with grace and passion--from 1st grade to 12th grade. They represented the 12,000 Dreamers from across the project, and we were all very proud of them. We had a surprise delivery of Dream Flags from the Khumjung School in Nepal!
2. They were trekked down from the school, flown from Kathmandu to a friend at Yale University, and delivered to Phurba Sherpa in Washington, DC who presented them to us on Saturday!! Phurba was accompanied by another special guest, Anne Keiser of the Greater Himalayas Foundation.
3. We got to hang French Dream Flag from Madagascar from the 80-foot hight model fo the Eifel Tower right in the middle of the Kimmel Center!
4. The musicians were up on stage with the readers and we had wonderful improv behind the poetry reading with the brand new sound and stage at the Kimmel Center.

Thanks to so many people who made all of this possible, and especially the dreamers!
Here are a few pictures from the event.

Dreams on the Steps of Langston Hughes!

4/28/11 These students from Storefront for Children in Harlem, New York, are standing on the steps of the Langston Hughes House! Guided by their teacher, Steve Bergen, they have created wonderful Dream Flag poems. . . AND . . .they stood on the steps of Hughes to read them for us.

Check out their Dream Flag web page HERE and don't miss the "click" links because you'll see video of the students reading their work right on those famous steps. Thank you, Storefront for Children and Steve for taking these dreams to a place where Mr. Hughes started it all . . .

School in Austin, TX Takes Dream Flags to Haiti and Nicaragua!

Students at St. Etienne in Salmadere, Haiti.

4/19/11 St. Stephens' School in Austin, Texas brought The Dream Flag Project to students at a Haitian orphanage and to their sister schools in Haiti and Nicaragua this year. Thanks to teachers Vicki Woodruff, Cindy Morriss, and the work of the school's service program, they made this leap and connected the dreams. Do check out the great article on their web site that tells the whole story and has many more great pictures. Fly On Dreams!!
St. Stephen's Dream Flag Article and Pictures
Video of Service Project in Haiti Including Dream Flags

Dreaming Big in Belize

Dawn Flowers at Burrell Bloom Methodist School in Belize is helping all of us spread the dreams! This Wednesday, April 14th, she will be a guest speaker at the Belize National Library Service Book  Fair.  She's been invited to teach other educators about The Dream Flag Project and how to connect. This year 300 students from Burrel Bloom Methodist have made Dream Flags, and they're going to be exhibited at the Book Fair, as well as a local hospital and bank! Talk about dreaming big! Thanks to you, Dawn, from all of us. Please keep dreaming!

Philly Library's After School Learning Starts Dreaming!

3/22/11 Last Saturday, some of the teen and adult leaders of the after school learning programs in Philadelphia's 54 branch libraries learned about Dream Flags and made their own. We look forward to seeing the dreams come together, especially since there will be a terrific exhibition of Dream Flags flanking both sides of the main entrance to the Main Branch of the library come mid-May. We'll post updates and a flag or two from Saturday soon. . . .