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MURALS and
OTHER MARVELS
Youth Voices Update
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'Youth Voices' is the name we give to the many youth empowerment
projects conceived and carried out by our Americorps members in
Bellingham and Seattle, WA, and by our staff team in Victoria, BC.
Here are updates on just a few
of them!
The Mural Project
reported by Rebecca
Bellingham Americorps Rebecca n’ Jen have recently begun yet another
project with youth, thus potentially qualifying them for the title
of Super (nuts) Americorps Volunteers Of the Year (2008). But there
is absolutely no way that they could conceivably NOT want to embark
on this particular opportunity of a lifetime that so delectably
dangles in front of them! (Now, as the reader, you are supposed to
ask why that is)
THE ANSWER IS, darling reader, the mysteriously
enchanting and daring new MURAL PROJECT AT BELLINGHAM HIGH SCHOOL!
This project has culled a visionary team of 16 extremely qualified
high school service-learning students, 3 dedicated teachers, and our
two aforementioned stooges. Our weekly sessions began in February
with a powerofhopeful combination of community building activities,
spirited discussions on the culture of Bellingham High School, and
sessions on mural painting and sketching techniques. Our goal is to
collectively create a 12x15 foot canvas mural that will reflect
these students’ interpretations of the culture and community at
Bellingham High School.
What will come of this exciting and zany idea? What will be the
outcome of this dynamic combination of highly capable people,
cutting edge ideas and several gallons of very permanent paint all
mixed together a 600-square-foot room? Will we finish it before the
project deadline, June 6? And of course, what will the final work
of genius look like?
Stay tuned for more…
Seattle Girls’ School
reported by Devon
Americorps members Jamie Rose and Devon are thrilled to bring a
program to the Seattle Girls’ School. Once a week, Jamie Rose and
Devon meet with seventeen girls to explore how the arts impact their
own personal development and civic engagement. Through theatre,
creative writing, dance, song and visual arts, the group is
discovering individual strengths, building supportive relationships,
expanding their frontiers, considering the issues they care about,
and putting their artistry into action. Their leadership,
encouraging attitudes and creative gusto have amazed us.
Southwest Interagency Academy
reported by Devon
The Power of Hope is lucky to work directly across the hall from the
Southwest Interagency Academy! Their energy and friendship lift our
spirits, and we are glad to give back to a group of youth there by
facilitating a 6-week arts-empowerment program with them. We just
began on the third, and have already practiced teamwork, engaged our
creativity through games, and learned a little more about one
another.
Lakewood
Area Shelter
reported by Jamie-Rose
On the 27th of
February, the Seattle office POH team facilitated an evening program
at The Lakewood Area Shelter, near Tacoma, WA. The Shelter serves
low-income families that are struggling with homelessness. We
structured the program with the intention of offering a fun and
engaging evening, which would encourage participants to get to know
one another better. Adults and youth participated in imagination
games, rhythmic expression, storytelling, and visual arts. At the
end of the program, participants were asked to share the dreams they
have for their lives. They then created a “group dream tree” which
was a collective expression of their goals and visions for their
lives. |
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