The 24 Foundation: Mentoring Fall 2012

I have spent a much of my time in the last 2 years teaching and hanging out with ESCALADE youth group down in Fullerton, CA at Kaleo Christian Fellowship.  I've been on a break since early September, and was wondering what I could do with MY TIME TO MYSELF.  I didn't think that that would involve mentoring at a military based school called Sunburst Youth Challenge Academy and  The 24 Foundation. (FB Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/24foundation)

I went into this mentoring program with 2 other friends as my accountability and support like a strong woven rope, we committed to 4 weeks of mentoring together.  The mission of The 24 Foundation is Creativity as the Catalyst for Healing the Soul.  Once or twice a year in  ESCALADE, we would exercise art therapy.  At least once a season or less.  BUT here with The 24 Foundation we are working with teens who are exploring, improving, and challenging their lives into a new direction, art therapy has been helping them reflect and process on a weekly basis.  The last 2 weeks has empowered or inspired life into my work and studio; I'm not quite sure if the girls that I am working with realize that.  Here are some of the projects we do together.

WEEK 1: The Past
Project:  Use paper, markers, paint, pencils, etc. and express what your past has done to you, and what feelings you have towards you past from where you are today.

She told me that the fire represents all her anger from the past.
and the specs of white are the hints emerging hope and change

These are the words that I feel from my past, HURT and SAD,
but above HURT and SAD are these rising feelings of LOVE, STRONG, HAPPY , and FREE.
I asked her, "Did you intentionally draw LOVE, STRONG, HAPPY, and FREE above HURT and SAD?"
She replied, "No."  I said did you realize that your emerging out of HURT and SAD.
She siad, "Now that I see it on paper, YES, especially being here at Sunburst Academy" 

WEEK 2: The Present
Project: Create a mask that expresses who you are today.  On the front express how you think that people view you, and on the inside express how you view yourself.

Mask 1

Y.A.D.  Young and Damaged
On the exterior she thinks that people see her as young and damaged,
 and is starting to heal.
Her dream is to become a cosmetologist and being at Sunburst is a
start to getting there.  

On the interior she thinks of herself as Creative, photogenic,
stronger, humbleee, and wiser.

Mask 2

With blocks of colors she feels that people see her as mindfully peaceful,
centered with courage, happy, pure, and surrounded by love.  

But on the inside, she has a lot more to say, she is a cluster of words,
emotions, and strength through her emotions.  One day she'll be able to speak it out.

Mask 3

New found pride.

At the end of 2 week exercises and sessions with the girls that I work with.  I am inspired to keep doing that I am doing.  The last longer term commitment I made with art to heal the heart was in 2010 when I went to Cambodia to work with children and NGOs.  It's different doing it here in Los Angeles.  One thing that inspired me the first week was when we had sharing time in our break out sessions (Photography), one of the girls shared that her purpose for being at Sunburst was to change and test her endurance.  If she can face her fears and endurance through the difficulties of military style she can accomplish anything that she dreams of.  She said that her biggest nemesis was herself and her attitude.  So to be at the academy, is to be at the point where she pushes through and changes her perspective.   It's refreshing to see someone 10 years younger than I want to take up the rising challenges of life with full force and adversity (esp coming from a broken past).