The Be Here: EDU initiative at the Peale encourages teachers and students to think about technology as a means of crafting and sharing digital stories, in the classroom and beyond. One example of that approach is the Chicory Revitalization Project, a Rutgers University-Newark initiative to revive interest in Chicory magazine, which captured the words, passions, debates, and anger of black Baltimore from 1966-1983. The Chicory Revitalization Project uses the power of poetry to promote civic dialogue about place, identity, and social justice. U.S. Urban History students at Rutgers recently used our free Be Here Stories app (for iOS) to record interpretations of poems that were printed in Chicory magazine. Listen on SoundCloud!
Be Here: EDU was first convened in 2016 as part of the Be Here: Baltimore program, started by the MuseWeb Foundation. University professors began using mobile storytelling to help their students engage, explore and better understand the communities they live in, and came together to share their experiences and expertise. Dozens of tours of Baltimore on themes ranging from public art to food deserts and slow violence have been published by students at Towson, Morgan State, Loyola, and Johns Hopkins Universities to date. In the process, students have gained training in 21st-century skills and experiences that can translate into internships and job opportunities in the research, culture, and technology sectors.