Jeanine Cook (LTA ’07) and her sisters, Jenielle and Minista Jazz are running the Positive Minds Summer 2010 classes as part of a project that brings multimedia education to children living on or near the 1600 block of Newkirk Street in South Philadelphia. It is a completely free program that is held from 1:00 to 2:30PM on Saturdays. The South Philly Review recently caught up with the sisters.
Positive Minds coming into focus:Three sisters from Virginia hope to influence local youths by providing multimedia opportunities on a Grays Ferry block.
By Amanda L. Snyder
The siblings from the 1600 block of Newkirk Street along with three other children took part in Positive Minds, a nonprofit supported by New Beginnings Nonprofit Incubator at Resources for Human Development, Inc., and run by a trio of sisters to offer area children the opportunity to work together and showcase their community via mediums such as photography, audio and video.
“Students tend to direct the program,” Jeannine said. “After brainstorming and finding out what they want to do, that’s where we’ll take it.”
Jeannine moved to Philly in 2001 to attend college and Positive Minds came into existence the following year.
“Positive Minds started as like a college club,” she said. “I started it when I was at University of the Arts. It was me and two other girls. My sisters didn’t live in Philly at the time.”
She and her sisters Jenielle and Minista Jazz may have grown up in Virginia, but have impacted children in Uganda, Trinidad, Florida, Virginia, New York and Philadelphia through the program. Now with all of sisters living in South Philly, they are focusing on theyoungsters on the 1600 block of Newkirk Street.
“My father lives on the block. My children play on the block,” Jeannine, of 28th Street and Snyder Avenue, said. “We know everyone on the block.”
That’s how Positive Minds came to Grays Ferry. While it isn’t the first time their nonprofit has been in effect in the city, it is the first time the program was not run out of an established recreation center or through another organization, Jeannine said.
“This is the first time we’re bringing the arts to the students instead of the other way around,” she said.
The completely free program that is held from 1 to 2:30 p.m Saturdays (or Sunday in the event of bad weather) is open to children age 7 and up who reside on the 1600 block of Newkirk as well as surrounding blocks, but is not limited to youngsters as the organizers hope parents will take part as well.
To read the full article visit southphillyreview.com
For more information on Positive Minds visit blogger.com, for those who would like to make monetary donations there is a paypal link on the site. If you’d like to donate equipment contact Jeannine at 267-972-8164 or positiveminds04@gmail.com
