Because It's Time:

Interdisciplinary Unit for Middle Schools About Resilience and Social Justice Art [Pilot Project March 2021]

The JUST US Project teaches children how to make sure they know what to do when feeling stressed or in times of trouble. This interdisciplinary middle school unit connects the Community Resiliency Model with a sculpture created by Dare Coulter that showcases the resiliency of the Black residents in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Participants will learn the following:

  • How to understand and monitor their bodies when enduring stress and how to learn resilience in difficult times.

  • Learn about art as a way of expressing one's feelings and telling stories. Students are exposed to historical and contemporary art and artists.

  • Learn about cultural and historical events highlighted of Dare Coulter's sculpture entitled "Because It's Time."

  • Create their own art piece showcasing participants' own resilience and express what resilience means to them personally.

  • Tell their own story of resilience through explaining their art piece.

Each lesson is paired with the accompanying North Carolina State Standards for Middle Grades in Social Emotional Learning, Art, Social Studies and Language Arts.

Because It’s Time” Curriculum

Interdisciplinary Unit for Middle Schools

About Resilience and Social Justice Art

This draft curriculum was written by Janna Robertson, professor in the Watson College of Education, in collaboration with two WCE students, Schala Harper and Kia Thompson as well as artist, Dare Coulter. Collaborating partners were the Harrelson Center, Cameron Art Museum, several New Hanover County public schools, DC Virgo Preparatory School, the New Hanover County Resiliency Task Force, GLOW Academy, DREAMS Center for Arts Education, the Brigade Boys and Girls Club, the UNCW Restorative Justice Collaboration, Girls Rocking It in the South, Turning the Wheel and Working Narratives. The project was joint collaboration between the UNCW Office of the Arts and Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion.


The final curriculum will be available by Fall 2021.


More information JUST US: https://uncw.edu/news/2021/03/uncw-partners-with-community-groups-for-just-us-program-connecting-arts-and-resiliency.html

More Artivism Projects at: https://uncw.edu/arts/artivism/index.html



Because it's Time Release Form.pdf