We are a visual culture. Images dance around in many of our young peoples heads, often times waiting for an expressive opportunity. This and the empty walls in the Educational Building were the inspiration of the Small Mural Project. Initially there were guidelines for this project based on the existing Ndebele inspired resident wall paintings.
The Ndebele of Southern Africa create vibrantly painted patterns on their homes. The tradition originated in beadwork, and was considered a ”brilliantly effective counter to the intended cultural annihilation” imposed by colonial rule. A contemporary Ndebele artist recently said, “when painting, my heart is very, very wide”. The young people involved in this project wanted to diverge from the Ndebele motif and create circles and rectangles that communicated design and message. The artists in charge of their images painted about longing, love, death and dying, loss, strength, basketball and getting through.
On June 4th and 5th, teens at The Bridge attended their annual Spring Formal. For the first time however, every student was recognized for their academic and therapeutic achievements. Each student received a personalized certificate and a gift bag, graciously donated by Agnes and Pete Law.
Volunteers from AutoTrader.com transformed the gym into the students’ chosen theme, “Darkness Falls” as a classic, black and white drive-in. A large screen showed photos of the students over the past year, strings of lights and stars highlighted trees around the gym and each table was accented with popcorn containers with silver accents.
Continuing their annual gift, Sue and Sean McCarthy from Twisted River Productions donated their time and equipment to take photos of each student dressed for the formal. Every student will receive a 5×7 print of their photo. JCL Global Culinary generously provided delectable dinner both evenings, which volunteers served to staff and students at their tables. Other volunteer supporters include Alston & Bird, LLC, Georgia-Pacific Corporation and many individuals who gave their time and support so that each student would feel special and rewarded. Thank you!
This year’s Spring Formal departed from previous year’s end of school celebrations, but it brings a new tradition of honoring and recognizing the incredible work of the residents at The Bridge and the wonderful young adults they are all becoming. We hope to host another formal at the end of the fall semester and look to you to help us continue this new tradition and create another amazing evening at The Bridge.
Last month, Sally quietly but confidently offered to read this poem at The Bridge’s annual volunteer celebration. Sally wrote the poem in response a troubling medical diagnosis. She says, “it let me look back on it and feel my own words flow through my spirit, it helped me grow in a way that I had never found (before).”
Kids at The Bridge use many skills and tactics to manage hardship and challenges. We encourage poetry as an opportunity for healthy self-expression and as a vehicle to building self-confidence.
What Belays in You
determination without the
struggle,
though no one seem(s) to care,
giving up on broken puzzles not
knowing god is there,
He is there my child without a
doubt,
Even watches over you as you
sleep,
Do not regard your faith in
him for with him you shall
always be,
though tempting pleasures will arise,
don’t let your eagerness take over,
He takes his time to fix your
heart and leaving it
alive and sober,
mistake his love or forget
his trust,
is something you can’t do,
For with his love true love
From above,
You shall feel him with
and in you.
Betsy calls herself a Hip-Hop Dance Queen. The Bridge encourages residents to develop their innate skills and talents through programs like Cirque du Monde. At the most recent Cirque du Monde recital, Betsy choreographed and danced a salsa with jazz influences. She has only recently been able to dance so freely, after restorative back surgery. When she saw the pictures from the recital, Betsy exclaimed, “I’m so pretty!”
Finding an outlet for expression and creativity is often a saving grace for kids at The Bridge. For Besty, not being able to dance makes her feel sad and depressed. She says, “when I dance, I feel relieved.”
Sometimes, the simple exercise of creating something and releasing frustration into paint and paper is enough to help a child calm down and reflect. Anna says, “I do a lot of abstract art. It is calming and reflective. It changes my negative part of (my) state of mind.”
Children in foster care and especially those who struggle emotionally, often feel as if they stand out from other kids. They fear that people notice their differences and challenges and subsequently judge them. Understanding that while their circumstances might be unusual that their reactions and feelings are normal is instrumental in learning to accept themselves. In her poem, Yvonne explains the feeling of being different.
The skin we’re in is very unique. To our hands or to or to our feet, or to every piece of food we eat.
we are labeled D.I.F.
To our color of our skin the whole world blend.
we are labeled F.E.R.
From the way we walk, to the way we talk, to the way we sing, and every little thing.
we are labeled E.N.T.
so no matter what you go through you will always be labeled
The kids have shown pieces of their lives here over the past few months, but what is it like to walk in their shoes? This film, every life a story, hopes to answer that question. It was originally shown at The Bridge’s 2007 Ray of Hope Celebration.
As we get to the close of the year, the kids are busy finishing up their classes and working on more pieces of art, poetry and journals to share with you. Look for new parts of their lives and stories here soon.
Just as foster kids run away from their placement homes, they occasionally run from The Bridge. Though they don’t often realize it, there are people who care for them. Janet ran away but came back, and was surprized at the staff’s concern for her. As part of her therapy for processing what had happened to her, she wrote these letters of apology to staff members and her support group.
Hands are our primary source of touch and a way to show closeness. But for many kids like Haley, they are more for defense. She doesn’t like people getting too close to her. In this series from the Creativity Lab, Haley photographed herself to show how she’d prefer to push people away.
Despite the hard times these kids have had to face, hope still shines through. This rap from the poetry workshop shows how one child and aspiring hip-hop artist, David, has survived his hardships and is looking forward to coming back into the world.
