For 8 weeks in the summer of 2023 I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Dream Center teaching art to at risk middle and high school age kids. I was able to not only teach them the fundamentals of art, but with the help of Denver PD and former convicts we had deeper discussions about life.

The goal of the program was to create a safe enviornment for the students to come when they had the summer off from school and foster both their interest in art and relationships with the community. Each week I tought them an art lesson, we had a discussion about our theme for the week and then painted two murals together. We were able to share personal stories about discipline, unity, and perspective, and then create images based off those ideas. At the end, the group had created over a dozen murals, and each had thier own small scale painting to show in a gallery. 

I was honored to be a part of this program, and can only hope we made a small difference in these kid's lives when it matters most.