Color in a Concrete World

Support for foster and systems-impacted youth

Applying a proven solution to a new issue or sector (using an existing model, tool, resource, strategy, etc. for a new purpose)

Our directors of education possess extensive experience within the educational arena with positions ranging from special education aids to principals and professors. We recognize and understand the nexus between trauma and creative expression. This project seeks to work with a population who has historically had a silenced voice, and we seek to give them now tools with which to express themselves and use this as having a lasting impression within society.

This project will partner with the Optimist Youth Home to work with XX students in each of three (3) eight (8) week courses to teach the youth (28-21 y/o) about urban expressive muralism. The Optimist Youth Home is a nationally accredited, non-profit organization dedicated to serving children/youth, and their families, in and at-risk of foster care in Los Angeles County. We seek to bring in a medium of art for the youth to learn about and develop skills in. Research demonstrates that are multiple benefits to creating art. They include; an overall sense of well-being, improved interpersonal relationships, improved freedom of expression when seeking to articulate thoughts and feelings, and emotional resilience. From the three (3) eight (8) week courses the artist/teacher will identify 5-10 youth to work together on designing, developing and creating two murals on Optimist Youth Home properties. The Youth Home has various properties and works with youth and families of various ages. This project will have effects on several levels. There is the initial impact to the youth who take the are classes, there are the effects and skills developed by the youth who take part in the creation of the murals, but there are also the laten effects on current staff, youth and families, but also on future staff, youth and families. This project seeks, not only to impart artistic knowledge on student youth, but to bring healing and hope to those exposed to the murals.

Youth will be exposed to the healing modality of art.They will learn new language and skill to articulate emotions and feelings. Through this life changing experience these youth will develop a sense of pride, confidence and ownership to something larger than themselves to take back into their communities.They will be changed forever by the experience.
This is an opportunity to help these youth create an art piece that will be valued and recognized at various levels of local government. The investment in these youth and the Youth Home will affect future clients who are left with the hope that this project has been left behind. 45% of youth are CWS involved, 6% are Juvenile Justice involved, and 49% are self/family or school/other agency referred; 52% are Hispanic, 25% are African American, 10% are White, with 13%mixed race or Other.Average stays range from 6 days (emergency shelter) to 16 months (Family Foster Agency).These youth share the same element of trauma, to differing degrees.

The Siqueiros Foundation of the Arts has been creating murals in the community since 2012. Success for this project will be measured by the number of youth who sign up for the classes, the percentage who successfully complete the classes and the successful completion of two murals at one/two locations of the Optimist Youth Home properties. Additionally, the instructors will administer a survey to the students before and after they take the art class to measure their knowledge about art at the beginning, and again after taking the classes. The goal would be to see a 50% increase in art knowledge after taking the class.