YOUTH WORKSHOPS
Gun violence is having devastating consequences on New Mexico’s children and teens. Its effects on the lives of our youth are a complex and multi-faceted problem. Gun violence exposes not only social inequities, but also a deeply embedded racism that permeates our state and country. Many of New Mexico’s youth witness and experience gun violence on a regular basis-in their homes, in the street of their neighborhoods and/or in their schools. They live in constant fear of getting shot. They are afraid to walk to school, go to a park or a party because of their real and valid concern that they may die. Our youth are heartbroken, afraid, and beyond confused as to why adults are doing so little to keep them safe.
New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence began working with youth in our first year. We believe that our youth are one of the most, if not THE most, important voice when it comes to gun violence prevention. We discovered very early on that there was a profound need for our youth to have a creative space in which they could communicate their thoughts and emotions about the issue of gun violence and how it affects them as well as ways that they can stay safe. They openly share with us their experiences of gun violence. Together, we work with them to explore how we can prevent these situations as well as decisions that they personally can make to help keep them safer. We believe that our augmented mural workshop program can take this to an exciting new level for those that matter the most…our children.
Gun Violence Prevention Workshops
The students will begin the workshop at the site of the mural where they can engage in a multi-media work of art that combines visual, literary and computer arts to communicate the importance of gun violence prevention. As they watch the mural come alive, they will hear New Mexico Poet Laureate Jessica Helen Lopez perform her spoken word piece on the issue of gun violence as the images in the mural transform via augmented reality on their phones.
The students will then participate in our gun violence prevention workshop inside the library.
The workshop takes a holistic approach in addressing gun violence in the lives of our young people. It gives our youth the opportunity to explore the root causes of gun violence as well as the impact gun violence has had on their lives. Our intention is to create a space where youth can reflect how gun violence affects their lives and discover tools to minimize its negative impact and keep them safe from harm. We start the workshop by facilitating exercises designed to initiate a discussion and explore ways in which youth can reverse this trajectory of gun violence. The exercises and discussions empower our youth to become agents of change as they develop solutions to end gun violence in the communities in which they live. The program also gives participants the opportunity to explore the impact of gun violence through art projects that are then displayed in their school community to raise awareness about the issue. The workshops include, guest speakers, films, art projects and facilitated discussion. Click here for a full description of the workshop and survey results.
If you would like your school to come to one of these free workshops, email Miranda Viscoli.
There is some funding for transportation costs and lunches available.
