Components
Issue IdentificationEducation equity is a very broad challenge that we face in communities all over the world. When addressing this problem within Denver, specifically, it was important to determine a specific issue within education equity to focus on. By talking with over community stakeholders, from non-profits to youth themselves, my team and I identified that many students lack a sense of agency in their local community's development, and thus feel disconnected from their environment and capacity to affect change in it. This, in turn, affects participation and empowerment in educational settings.
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Project and PartnerTo address our identified issue, my team and I developed an art-based activism workshop that encouraged youth to imagine radical change in their communities and inspire them to take action. We partnered with local non-profit GRASP (Gang Rescue and Support Project) to engage in weekly youth support groups and refine our project.
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ImplementationIn partnership with GRASP, my team and I presented our workshop series to over 30 youth during multiple sessions. Students painted their ideal communities as they imagined them to be and then learned about methods to enact change and the role of education in this process. The pictures that youth painted were kept by GRASP and assembled into a mural -- serving as a visual representation of the capacity for collective change.
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Partners and Mentors
GRASP
Dr. Johnny Ramirez
Effley Brooks
Pioneer Leadership Program
Evan Marnell, Lorena Munoz, Methusella Rwabose, and Lillian Scott
Dr. Johnny Ramirez
Effley Brooks
Pioneer Leadership Program
Evan Marnell, Lorena Munoz, Methusella Rwabose, and Lillian Scott