The last two days of East Palo Alto’s program were filled with inspiring stories of young people taking the lead to make changes in their communities.

The East Palo Alto organization Youth United for Community Action (YUCA) bestowed inspiration amongst the TMAs about how they could, despite age, fight against injustices in their communities through a multitude of mediums. YUCA fights for Environmental Justice in East Palo Alto by addressing major problems that face the community such as Environmental Racism and Gentrification.  Anna, the program director at YUCA, started working with the organization when she was 14 years old and is upon her 13^th year with them. Testaments such as hers showed the TMAs that getting involved at a young age has major benefits and fruitful outcomes for the cause that one stands up for and can lead to endless opportunities.

YUCA visits with the TMAs

With this in mind, ideas for imagery exploded in the Design Workshop with the youth drawing ideas for youth empowerment and vision from past interviews and research.  It was an inspirational day as youth make the transition from research to the expression phase.

Imelda shares her vision

Lucia, Mr. C. and Yeli watch intently

On Monday, July 11, 2011, patent lawyer Munes Tomeh took the EPA TMAs on the frontlines of the tumultuous times in Syria.  He spoke about the importance of recognizing, accepting and reconciling one’s multiple identities to respect oneself and just as importantly, respect other people.  Mr. Tomeh ended his talk with a memorable and thought-provoking statement of “the means are just as important as the ends,” and left all the students really pondering the most efficient and moral ways to achieve positive social change.

Munes Tomeh and TMAs against a fitting background urging us to "Strive"

The TMAs got an amazing opportunity to explore the world of venture capitalism when they spoke with 500 Startups’s Enrique Allen. Much of his conversation dealt with the process that is involved when innovation occurs. He spoke about how most innovation that occurs is because there is a need for a solution to some problem. Furthermore, he went on to say that “every problem is an opportunity in disguise,” and that everyone should take advantage of them. It was a very interesting lecture that left many of the youth thinking about the ideas they could come up with and provided more insight as to how the private sector has influenced web 2.0.

Enrique speaks to the group at 500 Start Ups

On Friday the East Palo Alto Teen Mural Assistants interviewed three local leaders who embody MMAP’s commitment to the arts as a means of social change: Professor H. Samy Alim, hip hop expert, Stanford University Associate Professor,  and Director of the Institute for Diversity in the Arts; Edward “Scape” Martinez, graffiti virtuoso of more than two decades and writer of “GRAFF: the Art and Technique of Graffiti” and “GRAFF 2: Next Level Graffiti Techniques”; and Sonya Clark-Herrera, Executive Director of MMAP. In their own way, these three leaders have made a tremendous impact on MMAP youth.

Through their respective art forms, Professor Alim, Scape and Sonya have crafted a life dedicated to achieving progress in society.   For them, vision is looking beyond the status quo, breaking out of a socially prescribed box and taking what you love to run with as fast and as passionately as you can. Scape sums up the power of the arts, “If you can capture that energy [of the arts] and steer it in the right way, the sky is the limit.”

Prof. Alim, Scape and Sonya with the Teen Mural Assistants

Listen as Christian Salinas, TMP Intern and recent graduate from East Palo Alto Academy High School, describes the interview:

The creative, driven group of Teen Mural Assistants participated in art workshops to learn more thoroughly about the technical aspects of graffiti, mural-making, and hip hop.  At the same time learning about the youth-led uprisings of the Civil War in the 1960s, and more recently in Egypt and Tunisia, the Teen Mural Assistants are grasping their ability to make change.  They are on their way to designing nothing short of a brilliant, historically-centered, community-driven mural in East Palo Alto.

Thank you again to our panelists! Here you may learn more about our guest speakers:

Professor H. Samy Alim: http://ed.stanford.edu/faculty/halim

Edward “Scape” Martinez: http://scapemartinez.com/

MMAP’s Teen Mural Assistants reflected, composed and shared their vision of themselves, and their vision for their communities.  Here is one vision expressed by MMAP veteran, Ashon Hunter (Eastside College Prep, 11th grade), in front of the backdrop of the Graffiti Arts Project’s mural, “Strive.”

These dreams and ambitions translate to goals

All resulting in pressure for success and yes unfold

But I plan to expand in all areas of life

Overriding expectations rising above pain and strife

See I got long-term visions for all types of things

From getting a masters’ degree or everyday hoop dreams

But I gotta stay focused and positive as well

Or else life can tear you down faster than an ACL

See I got a vision for myself that’s buried in wealth

Being in tip top shape accompanied by good health

Or coming back to Oakland town

Donating stacks to education fully flipping it around

Or becoming a wise mayor of EPA

Establishing safety for tomorrow and even today

But as obstacles spring up all up in my path

It makes it hard to proceed like doing complex math

But I’m going to look long-term and live life thankfully

Knowing that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Congrats to Ashon, and the rest of the TMA’s! The MMAP family looks forward to what the summer has in store.