Handed Down at Voice of Hope (West Dallas, TX)
Handed Down at Voice of Hope (West Dallas, TX)
Brittany Roberts
Texas is rich with stories, songs, crafts, and foodways that families and communities have shared for generations. At Texas Folklife, we recognize that folk arts and folkways are more than traditions—they are living legacies that connect us to our past, shape our identities, unite our communities, and inspire our shared future. Starting this fall, we are sharing those living legacies with the next generation through Handed Down, Texas Folklife’s reimagined youth folk arts education program.
Taught in the Texas Folklife Classroom at Voice of Hope in West Dallas, Handed Down is designed for students in grades 5–8. The program invites young people to learn directly from tradition bearers—artists, storytellers, and cultural keepers—through hands-on courses. Each course, guided by a single teaching artist over several weeks, gives students the chance to dive deeply into one tradition while reflecting on what they’ve learned and connecting it back to their own lives. Depending on the tradition bearer, students may explore music, storytelling, foodways, beadworking, textiles, or other folk and traditional arts that continue to shape Texas communities.
As traditions are handed down in the classroom, students bring them to life through individual or group projects that capture their learning. Each course concludes with a student showcase, a platform where the students’ creativity and voices take the spotlight. Open to the community, the showcase is a proud celebration of these promising young tradition keepers. It’s a moment where family, friends, and community members can witness traditions being carried forward in new and meaningful ways. Through Handed Down, young Texans will discover that these traditions are theirs to hold, celebrate, and carry into the future.
