SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A weekly art class is teaching children two lessons, according to the mother of a child in the class – painting and generosity.

Aryn Franklin, 22, has been leading the class of six kids, aged 10 to 11, who have been painting every Tuesday for an hour and a half since the end of July. The end goal is that the kids' art will be sold this December to raise money to help schools in the poverty stricken country of Ghana.

"Usually when they do art (at school) and it's really good, they want to take it home and showcase it," said Jackie Gould, whose daughter Emily, 10, is in the class.

"But they're doing this for a cause and for them to give up their own work to raise money for other kids is a lesson," said Gould, adding that the other lesson they're being taught is, and quite comprehensively, a variety of different artistic styles.

"The amount of work is just phenomenal – it's good quality, she's really taught them art," said Gould.

Gould said the class has been a comfortable, casual setting for Emily to learn art, and that if Franklin offers the class again, Emily would surely join.

Franklin is going to Ghana in March with Global Vision International to volunteer from March 7 until June 20. Franklin said she will most likely be teaching English and helping build schools.

She decided to start the art group, titled the Create Change Art Group, to promote both creativity and awareness of global issues.

"The kids absolutely love it and they're so disappointed that I'm ending it so soon," said Franklin, who will be holding her last class with the kids on Dec. 8.

"There's not really a lot of art opportunities for kids, I find. I think having that space to be really creative and do something fun, and get together – they just really enjoy it."

Franklin will use her time off from teaching art to prepare for both her trip to Ghana and graduate school. Franklin will be applying to study speech-language pathology in the fall of 2010.

Franklin said she might consider starting a class up again when she returns from Ghana.

The art the class has made together includes acrylic and oil paintings, handmade wooden boxes decorated with pressed flowers, origami, sewing projects, decorative bags, and photography.

All of these works will be on sale on Dec. 11 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m and Dec. 12 from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Yellowknife Public Library meeting room.

Franklin is also asking Yellowknife's amateur artists to donate any works they can to help raise money for the Ghanaian children.