EnviroCasso Project
Youth creating murals which promote environmentally-friendly and physically safe neighborhoods by intentionally reducing violence while providing pathways of success which are embraceable by youth and their families.
Leader
Josephine Young
Location
7000 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44103
About the project
The Mt. Pleasant neighborhood has been drowning in acts of violence – young people on young people. Our mission is to recruit youth affected by violence – whether in school, in their neighborhood or…even at home -- and teach them how to express their views and feelings through art. We have selected the nationally renowned artist Dayz (Naijal Hawkins) to lead this program due to his experience with large-scale art installations, his ability to reach youth through art, and…the personal hurdles he has overcome.
Once our youth have enhanced their ability to express their ideas and emotions through art, they will be grouped into teams and compete for the most popular artistic expression as determined by their peers. The selected piece will become a mural in the Mt. Pleasant community and shared with the world to show how our young artists view and handle the scourge of violence.
The Steps
- Recruit YAC Leadership
- Train YAC Leadership
- Recruit Artineers
- Train Artineers
- Production of Generation Alpha Pieces
- Train Youth in Muralism
- Collectively Select Primary Murals
- Apply Primary Murals to Neighborhood Surfaces
- Merchandise All Murals
Why we‘re doing it
When we strip down to the bone what we are doing, it’s pretty simple: We are “guiding” youth to complete a difficult project from start to finish and to do it in such a way that they receive recognition from the community which surrounds them. More than that, we are not sugarcoating or simplifying the process by eliminating the boring aspects or higher-thinking processes – it is important for them to grind through these challenges. Some call this “grit” or “persistence” – we think of it in much simpler terms: if you work hard enough and don’t give up, there are real tangible and intangible joys and benefits on the other side of that “wall”. And once they experience this feeling, then no longer is it a “just trust me” plea to motivate them – it’s a visceral experience personal to them. Finally, we’re giving the youth an opportunity to lead and demonstrate their leadership, their creativity and their solutions, without oppressive adult “we-know-better” attitudes.
This is not our formula, it’s our mission!