I have the honor of working with the youth at Aki Kurose and in our after school arts classes we’ve been exploring the complex world of power and what I means to us. In one session we independently completed Power Prompts and then compiled them together to create a group awareness. We then created dynamic collages inspired by our discoveries as a way to reflect.
Being Powerful is…
Cool
Hard
Great
Irritating
Awesome
Being Rich
Good
Good
Complicated
Being Bossy
Being a leader
Very Confusing
Being in Control
Having Servants
Being Respected
Yelling at People
Being a Role Model
Something that feels Awkward
Treating people the way you want to be treated
Power Reminds Me of…
God
Jesus
Elders
Candy
Slaves
My Mom
Authority
Old People
My Parents
Loud Noises
Music-Music
Video Games
Jews in Poland
Power Rangers
Being in Charge
Being Respectful
Adults-Adults-Adults
Being Nice to Others
When I Think of a Powerful Force in Nature I think of:
God
Fires
Wind
Jesus
Trees
Hippos
Tornado
Tsunami
Volcanoes
Hurricanes
Earthquake
Water-Water
Natural Disasters
Catastrophic Events
One of the most Powerful People in History…
God
Jesus-Jesus
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Hitler-Hitler-Hitler-Hilter
Franklin D Roosevelt
Barack Obama
Rosa Parks
Columbus
When I feel Powerful I am…
Happy
Cooking
Reading
In Charge
Being Kind
Feeling Cool
Being a Leader
Drawing-Drawing
Being Nice to Others
Standing up for Myself
When Someone has Taken my Power they Usually…
Has a Big Mouth
Is Older than Me
Has a Weapon
Has Money
Has Power
Is an Adult
If Rich
Has No Power
Has Silenced Me
Has a Gun or a Knife
Has a Bossy Personality
Has People Helping Them
Has had their Power Taken
Never! No One Takes my POWER!
The First Time I Felt Power Was When…
I was Born
I went to School
Took my first steps
I worked with little kids
I stood up to mean girls
I was the lead role in a play
I stood up to someone and didn’t let them knock me down
I saw someone with no money
I was in charge of a group
I was with my family
My sister was born
I got really mad
Never
When I need to feel power I…
Say something nice to someone
Play a video game
Throw A Tantrum
Learn something
Listen to Music
Help Others
Play Sports
Go Outside
Scream
Babysit
Fight
Talk
Yell
Cry
Power Is…
The ability to create change
Influence others
A great feeling
Leadership
Friendship
Awesome
Important
Respect
Riches
Fun
Cool
Weird
My Ipod
Authority
Annoying
My Family
Challenging
Violence-Violence
Something you feel inside that no one can take away
Another day I invited the youth to facilitate their own brainstorming process. With pens and a large piece of paper on the wall we brainstormed symbols of power that are helpful and symbols of power that are hurtful. We agreed that many symbols could be both helpful and hurtful depending on how one uses or sees it.
Helpful |
Hurtful |
GraffitiCrane Cash (Aki’s reward system)AdultsGodFamilyJesus
Buddah Mom and Dad Education Hugs and Kisses Your mind Obama Money Love Spirituality Kindness
|
Crane Cash (Aki’s reward system)AdultsGunsDadsWordsBelts/Knives
Punches Lightning Osama Bin Laden Romney Death Racism Genderism (sexism) Money School
|
No doubt the youth became very boisterous and passionate. There were many times throughout this process in which I reminded the youth that all answers were right and that everyone’s voice will be heard. We all took time to center ourselves and calm our minds. Power is striking in so many ways. After creating this list I invited the youth to select the top three symbols they related to most by each marking their vote next the word. Spirituality, Education and Graffiti ended up being the class majority. I then invited the class to split themselves by interest and provided them with a tabletop sized paper and an array of art mediums. Each group created a plan and is currently building masterpieces inspired by symbols of power. We will be sharing our artists statements and group works at our After School Showcase.
Hi, I check your new stuff like every week. Your story-telling style is witty, keep doing
what you’re doing!