Second Chance for Youth Through the Arts
By Joselyn
Wilkinson
Roberto Martinez* was having
trouble in school. A soft-spoken young 7th grader who likes to draw and
skateboard, he came face-to-face with “zero-tolerance” when he was
OT’ed (“Opportunity Transferred”) for looking at a
classmate’s BB gun.
He was expelled and his family was left to search
of another overburdened middle school to accept him. During the three months he
was left in the cold, nothing much to do every day, living in a crime ridden
low-income area of Venice, Roberto got a ticket for truancy. Fortunately,
Roberto found himself facing Judge Pamela Davis in L.A. County Superior Juvenile
Court, and he was given the unusual sentence of enrolling in a local arts
program.
Andre Franklin* was having
trouble in school. A bright young man full of creative energy, Andre could not
keep still in class. Teachers came down pretty heavily on him for his lack of
focus and for not getting his homework in on time. In dance and drama classes he
excelled, but much of the time he felt left out for being
“different.” When Andre heard about a local after-school arts
program, he decided to give it a
shot.
Maria Garcia* was painfully shy.
Her wide smile and bright eyes were full of vibrant life, but most of the world
didn’t know that because she found it impossible to speak in front of a
group or raise her voice above a whisper. Luckily for Maria, L.A. Bridges
referred her to an after-school arts
program.
In September 2003 Inside Out
Community Arts welcomed these three middle-schoolers, and 25 others, into its
Neighborhood Arts Project. Four professional artists, trained in a special
curriculum, met once a week with the students, who learned skills in acting,
movement, writing, photography, visual art and music. Each week they explored a
different theme: respect, imagination, changing the world, seeing yourself as a
superhero, creatively exploring your neighborhood, and many others. The students
learned to work as a team, they built their self-confidence, and then they began
to write plays. The students, in two playgroups, chose music and teen street
life as their themes. These topics are symbolic of the crossroads at which
Venice middle-school youth find themselves. Caught between innocence and ugly
reality, kids reach inside themselves with the help of professional actors,
musicians and writers and find they have something entirely unique to say.
Now it’s February and
they’ve performed two incredible plays on Feb. 7 for an audience of
community, friends and family, letting the world know “What’s On
Their Minds”! For many youth who’ve taken part in Inside Out
Community Arts programs over the past 10 years, this is a profound experience
they will remember for the rest of their lives. But what’s most important
is the process -- young people finding positive ways to explore who they really
are and take an active part in who they are
becoming.
Roberto Martinez is doing
much better in school. His counselor said she saw him smile for the first time
last week. His grades are improving, he feels like he’s part of a team,
working with adults who genuinely care for him. Andre Franklin is shining as a
creative force to be reckoned with. He’s learned that he doesn’t
have to talk all the time in order to be heard. And Maria now knows that people
want to hear what she’s got to say. Her voice is getting louder and
louder, and she hasn’t lost that beautiful smile.
* Students’ names have been
changed for confidentiality.
Posted: Sun - February 1, 2004 at 06:08 PM