(FORT BEND COUNTY) – Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton recently collaborated with the Indus Arts Council to provide a free two-week summer camp for Fort Bend County children between the ages of 10 and 17 through the Fort Bend County Expose Excellence Youth Program.
Seventy children began participating in the full-day Summer Camp in early June. The camp was hosted at Harmony Science Academy in Sugar Land. Camp participants were introduced to the Pakistani art form of Truck Art. Camp participants learned the forms, motifs, and colors used in Truck Art as well as its history and the Urdu vocabulary associated with the art.
Zahra Ali, a professional artist, developed and taught the art curriculum. Talat Awais, Indus Arts Council language program director, developed the integrated Urdu curriculum. Select pieces of the artwork created by the camp participants will be displayed at the Fort Bend County Justice Center.
Indus Arts Council is a non-profit organization founded by its president, Shahid Iqbal. Indus Arts Council “fosters a cross-cultural exchange between the Pakistani diaspora and the diverse communities in the U.S. through Urdu classes, cultural events, films, and theater by keeping the Urdu language at the core of all its activities.” Indus Arts Council collaborates with “creatives from the humanities and arts in the U.S. and Pakistan to build immersive experiences to broaden cultural knowledge and enrich societies that celebrate and cherish Urdu heritage.”
The Fort Bend County Expose Excellence Youth Program is a county program whose mission is to provide a safe environment for youth interaction while promoting positive self-expression and development of life skills and artistic expression.
“The Truck Art and Me Summer Camp is a part of series of Summer Camps provided free of charge to children in Fort Bend County through the Fort Bend County Expose Excellence Youth Program,” said Middleton. “At EEYP, we believe that our children are our future and our responsibility. EEYP is creating safe environments for our youth, encouraging positive expression through performing and visual arts, providing mentorship, and exposing our children to excellence so that they may achieve their maximum potential.”
“The summer camp has been a very culturally rich learning experience for the students and the Indus Arts Council was delighted to provide the program for the youth of Fort Bend County,” said Iqbal.
The Expose Excellence Youth Foundation, which supports EEYP, was able to negotiate agreements with Aga’s Restaurant and Famous Food Products to provide meals and refreshments for the camp participants.
“The Foundation fully supports the mission and vision of the Expose Excellence Youth Program and will continue to provide resources needed for the Program to achieve maximum success,” said Expose Excellence Youth Foundation Treasurer Mubashir Chaudhry.
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