Now we are going to look for comfy chairs to hang  out untill the other teams arrive

Lina, Fahad, and Jena

And here’s a link to my Flickr photostream if you’d like to check out the rest of my photos :]
Thanks!

P.S
TEN DAYS LEFT! sooo excited!

- Jena

I hope  you like it .

Fahad

Jena

Okay so first I’ll bore you with the basics:

-My name is Jena Al-Awadhi
-I’m 17 years old
-I am Kuwaiti
-I study at AUK (American University of Kuwait)
-I major in Mass Communication & Media
-I love photography
-And I am one of the Offscreen HSBC Expedition 2010 winners

I have to admit that I was still in denial that I was chosen and the possibility of me winning was far from reality up until yesterday when we had a busy day at the visa application centre. However, I am still glad that I was given this amazing opportunity and I am very ecstatic about the trip!

Oh and I forgot to mention that I can be very modest and I hate talking about myself, so bare with me please:(

At a young age, I used to collect my favorite family photos, cut them up and make collages. The consequence of that is having numerous family pictures with holes in them. Sorry mom, dad. I loved the concept of photographs. A memory captured in a millisecond on a glossy piece of paper for you to reminisce and keep forever. But I only started liking photography a year ago by simply browsing through Flickr! I got a semi-professional Canon as a graduation gift from my family May 2009. I was so excited and went picture-taking crazy. Two weeks ago my dad surprised me with another Canon (D550), the exact one I wanted. So I only just started using the camera because I can’t even try to read the manual since it’s in Korean, but I can manage on my own, I guess. Anyway, that’s where it all started! And I can’t wait to take photos and explore the UK! & that’s all I have to say for now!:)

Jena Al Awadhi

My name is Lina, I am an artist and art teacher from Kuwait. The folks at Offscreen have chosen me to accompany their talented young winners from Kuwait to the UK this summer on an art expedition. We are almost three weeks away from the trip so I thought it was about time to update our blog.

In college I attended the University of Arizona school of art program where I was educated in the ways of making art. When I got back to Kuwait I decided to apply to work as a teacher; now I teach middle school and high school art/photography. Working with kids in Kuwait is very rewarding. The students are hard workers, and their skill level is very high. However, I struggle the most when it comes to conceptual work. I find it easier (on them) to tell the students to copy a successful technique than it is to ask them to create something that reflects their own opinion of the world. They have actually in the past expressed to me how much they would rather not explore the conceptual side creating art. Since this was my first year as a teacher, I chose not to push them too hard so I stuck mainly to less conceptual work. But when I heard of Offscreen and the opportunity to work with Offscreen I was really excited. I could see thru the clips on youtube that the students were constantly asked to think, reflect, and create. If I could learn how to inspire my students in that way; it would make this trip invaluable. If successful, this trip will affect every single student I ever teach from this point on. So yes, I am looking forward to this trip.

I wasn’t sure if I should post these.. but here are some examples of my lovely sixth graders work:

And some from my seniors:

In other news, yesterday morning I had a chance to meet with Fahad and his mother at the British Council. We talked for a while about the trip and our expectations. Fahad seems like a very responsible/creative young man. I am looking forward to seeing him interact with the students in the UK.

We’ve set up a meeting for next Tuesday to meet with Jena and then to go down and finish our Visa applications. I hope that we will all be approved in time for the trip in July (inshallah).

For more info about Offscreen visit their site: http://offscreen.org.uk/

LM

The Offscreen team arrived in Kuwait City to visit HSBC, the British Council and other organisations in Kuwait to get support for our forthcoming Expedition.

We stopped off at LoYAC, a youth arts organisation committed to empowering young people and nurturing talent in the community. Pictured is Willy Matthew, co-ordinator of the International Program.

We then stopped at the British Council for another empowering meeting.

Visits were also paid to secondaries schools and universities where we got to witness first-hand the creative potential of the young Kuwaitis. It’s going to make choosing two participants very difficult !

Back in London, we’re preparing for the recruitment campaign, with the launch scheduled for late March. Watch this space.

Please also visit our recce blogs for Qatar and Jordan.