This week, our Volunteer Spotlight is on Karina Sindicich!

Why do you volunteer with ASTEP?
I volunteer with ASTEP for so many reasons!! ASTEP is such an incredible organization, and with the many groups that they reach out to, you can really feel the actual effect and benefit of our time together. But it isn’t just the youth I’ve worked with, (in Brooklyn, India, Harlem) but the other volunteers and staff create such a warm and loving community for each other!! You feel valued and loved as an artist and human, and you’re fully encouraged and supported to share the best of yourself in every moment!! ASTEP cares wholeheartedly about each community they work with and work hard on bringing artists that serve each community’s needs in the best way possible!!

How long have you been volunteering with ASTEP?
I have been lucky enough to be volunteering with ASTEP since April of [last] year! And I don’t think I’m ever gonna stop! 🙂

What programs have you been a part of with ASTEP?
I have volunteered as a part of the WIN shelter programs, CASES program and I was honored to be a part of the Shanti Bhavan program in India of June [last] year! We were in SB for nearly a month, teaching all different kinds of arts programs for the graduation showcase! It was and always will be, one of the most treasured and life changing moments of my life!

What is your favorite memory from an ASTEP program?
There are so many!!! But I think one of the major highlights for me would have to be watching the graduation showcase in Shanti Bhavan [last] year. Watching the children perform in front of Dr. George, their teachers, family and friends was incredibly emotional for me! You see all these exceptionally bright, talented and beautiful children whom you’ve gotten to know so well over the last few weeks, and seen work so hard, be able to own their talent and shine so brightly in front of all their peers! It was truly something so special and I hold the experience very dear to my heart. I will never forget it! I hope to watch many more graduation showcases in the future 🙂

Thank you, Karina, for volunteering with us at ASTEP! Your warm, generous and positive energy makes everyone smile! We cannot do this work without you.

To learn more about ways YOU can get involved with ASTEP at Shanti Bhavan, click here.

For all Volunteer Inquiries, email ASTEP’S Manager of Programs, Sami Manfredi, at sami@asteponline.org

Join us! ASTEP is getting ready to send a team of 12 artists next month to deliver an arts intensive camp to the students of Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project – a residential school for economically and socially disadvantaged children outside Bangalore, India.

“You have a choice about how to see the world. There is no limit to what you can do.”

We are looking for artists to lead Musical Theatre, Filmmaking, Dance, Music, Visual Arts, and Storytelling classes to help this camp thrive. Be a part of our team that brings the beauty and power of the arts to this very special community! 

Email Sami Manfredi at sami@asteponline.org or give us a ring at 212.921.1227 to learn more!

Dates: September 5th – 17th, with an optional retreat September 3-5th

Location: Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project, just outside of Bangalore, India

*Room and board is provided by ASTEP and Shanti Bhavan for all Volunteer Artists.

Help us make a difference! This Spring, we are sending a team of Volunteer Artists to Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project in Southern India to deliver a multi-week arts camp that focuses on visual and performing arts including music, filmmaking, dance, and musical theatre.

Shanti Bhavan translates from Hindi to English to mean “Haven of Peace”, and we believe the work of our teaching artists will help to create just that. Join us in bringing arts education and application to these students from India’s lowest castes, where we are able to provide them with the space and time to practice communication, collaboration, empathy, and creativity. With ASTEP and Shanti Bhavan, your work will foster a symbol of hope, providing the students with the skills necessary to create and thrive in a brighter, better tomorrow.

Dates: May 23 – June 10, 2018
Application deadline: February 15, 2018
Location: Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project just outside of Bangalore
Who: You! All artists with a passion for making a difference!

** Room and board is provided by ASTEP and Shanti Bhavan for all Volunteer Artists
** Email Sami Manfredi at sami@asteponline.org or give us a ring at 212.921.1227 to learn more!

Last September, I had the opportunity to join the ASTEP team headed to Shanti Bhavan in India as a visual arts teacher during a two week arts camp. Those weeks on the ground changed my life! I had no idea that it was even possible to fall in love with so many different souls in just a week. I also didn’t go into teaching at SB thinking that I would learn so much from my students. They taught me how to be joyful, grateful, considerate, open, innovative and so much more.

The students were so driven, well-behaved, and willing to try new things. These students are a part of a completely different culture than mine, but they had the biggest hearts and were some of the coolest kids I’ve ever hung out with. This was my first time visiting India, and the staff and students of SB made me feel right at home.

Aside from working with the brilliant students of SB and their kind staff, I learned so much from my co-teachers and volunteers that lead the program with me. We participated in a plethora of different team building exercises including meditation, group lesson planning, photo challenges, writing exercises, and more that enhanced my teaching and leadership skills a great deal. Spending time at SB has made me a better teacher, a better mentor, a better team-player and a better student.

If there are any artists looking to impact a beautiful group of students while learning just as much as you are teaching, SB is a haven of peace that will love you as much as you will love it.

Rosco was part of ASTEP’s Fall Arts Camp at Shanti Bhavan in September 2016.

** Email Aaron Rossini at aaron@asteponline.org or give us a ring at 212.921.1227 to learn more about the volunteer experience.

Step outside of your comfort zone and make a difference in the world this year with ASTEP. This spring, we are sending a team of Volunteer Artists to Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project in Southern India to deliver a multi-week arts camp that focuses on visual and performing arts including music, filmmaking, dance, and musical theatre.

ASTEP believes poverty is defined by a lack of choice. Our team of Teaching Artists, along with the faculty and staff at Shanti Bhavan, use their art, their passion, and their talents to teach students that they have the power to make choices in their lives.

We will show our students that their ideas have value and that they are capable of making positive transformations in their country, their communities, and their world. By bringing arts education and application to these students from India’s lowest castes, we are able to provide them with the space and time to practice communication, collaboration, empathy, and creativity: all skills necessary to live and thrive in a world where their voices matter.

Dates: May 24 – June 12
Application deadline: February 25, 2017 (EXTENDED)
Location: Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project just outside of Bangalore
Who: All artists! We need a diverse team and hope that you are a part of it!

** Room and board is provided by ASTEP and Shanti Bhavan for all Volunteer Artists
** Email Aaron Rossini at aaron@asteponline.org or give us a ring at 212.921.1227 to learn more!

“One of the best things about volunteering at SB was waking up every morning and starting my day with the preschoolers. They are so playful, smart, and filled with smiles; they overwhelmed me with joy every single day. ”
–Kaila Galinat, ASTEP Volunteer Teaching Artist

We are excited to announce a new, elite opportunity to work with ASTEP as a full time music teacher at Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project in rural India!

Teaching Artists in this position will lead general music education classes for primary school students in grades Pre K through fourth, and will lead choir rehearsals for upper school students. Teaching Artists will also organize and facilitate private lesson for students in a variety of instruments. All applicants should feel comfortable teaching piano and voice lessons to beginning and intermediate level students.

This position will be available year-round, but to be considered for placement in July, August, September or October, applications must be received by Wednesday, June 1, 2016.

To be considered for this position, please send a completed ASTEP Volunteer Application and current resume to lizzy@asteponline.org.

The accepted fellow must be available to teach for a minimum of 3 months, and will receive $800 towards their flight purchase and a stipend of $500 per month. Room and board is provided on site.

We look forward to hearing from you!

This summer ASTEP is sending a Volunteer Teaching Artist to Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project in India to lead our year-round music program. This Teaching Artist will lead elementary students (Kindergarten-6th grade) in general music classes, lead choir rehearsals for students in upper grades, and organize and facilitate private lessons for interested students.

In this position, an ASTEP Teaching Artist has the opportunity to introduce students to all that music has to offer. ASTEP and Shanti Bhavan work to develop the whole child by using the arts to introduce confidence, creative problem solving, creativity, communication, and collaboration. By giving them these skills, ASTEP Volunteer Teaching Artists are able to transform students’ lives using the most powerful tool they have: their art! Apply today to be part of the magic.

Dates: 2 – 6 month commitments starting as early as May 30
Application deadline: ASAP
Location: Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project near Bangalore, India
Who: All Musicians

** Room and board is provided by ASTEP and Shanti Bhavan for all Volunteer Artists
** Email Lizzy Rainer at lizzy@asteponline.org or give us a ring at 212.921.1227 to learn more!

Want to use your artistic talents to inspire joy? Ever wonder what Southern India is like in the spring? Then ASTEP might be just what you’re looking for!

This spring ASTEP is sending a team of Volunteer Artists to Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project in India to deliver a two-week arts camp that focuses on music, theatre, dance, and visual art. Together, ASTEP and Shanti Bhavan teach students that their voices matter, that their ideas have value, and that they are capable of transforming India and their communities. By bringing the arts to these children from India’s lowest castes, ASTEP provides students with the opportunity to develop their social and emotional skills and to imagine a world where anything is possible. All volunteers receive room and board and live on campus with the children.

Dates: 16 May through 6 June 2016
Application deadline: 15 March 2016
Location: Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project near Bangalore, India
Who: All artists! We need a diverse team and hope that you are a part of it!

** Room and board is provided by ASTEP and Shanti Bhavan for all Volunteer Artists
** Email Aaron Rossini at aaron@asteponline.org or give us a ring at 212.921.1227 to learn more!

Engage in the transforming power of the arts!

ASTEP is currently recruiting musicians, dancers, and visual artists for our three-week arts camp at Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project, a school and home for economically and socially disadvantaged children outside Bangalore, India. With a team of 5-10 volunteer artists, ASTEP’s arts camp transform the school into a place of creativity, performance and ol’ fashioned silliness for the 300+ students at who live there.

Application deadline: July 17, 2015
Dates: September 6 – 23, 2015

Email Lizzy Rainer at lizzy@asteponline.org to learn more!

+ Want to find out more about our partnership with Shanti Bhavan?

+ Check out photos from our most recent camp in May!