Painting new paths.
Journey Allen, Director of Youth Education at Arts New Orleans
In Louisiana, kids as young as 10 can be arrested, prosecuted, and incarcerated in the juvenile justice system. And 95 percent of these children are Black. They are exposed to the traumas of incarceration and denied the educational and development opportunities that every child deserves.
For Journey Allen, this makes her work as the Director of Youth Education at Arts New Orleans for its Young Artist Movement (YAM) Diversion Program that much more important. It’s why she works tirelessly to be a source of healing and guidance for system-involved youth so they can find a path toward a brighter future.
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I really believe in the power of creativity and how it can care for and heal our young people,” says Allen.
YAM, cofounded by Judge Arthur Hunter Jr. in 2021, acts as an alternative to prosecution for children and youth with nonviolent offenses. Apple has partnered with Arts New Orleans, a nonprofit organization that supports arts and culture around the city, to take a stand against the incarceration of children by increasing support for the program. YAM is the only arts-based diversion program offered through the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office. After completion of the program, youths’ cases are dismissed.
Allen has witnessed firsthand how working with young people through the arts gives them a second chance, as well as a sense of hope and possibility. “A lot of the kids that come through the diversion program have a true desire to do well,” she says. “They’re just still searching for that thing that will capture their attention.”
One such outlet is mural painting, which has quickly become one of the youths’ favorite forms of creative expression. Local businesses, nonprofit organizations, and city agencies commission these projects, and the kids gain real-world experience working with clients. They use iPad devices to film the mural-making process and have even used digital animation software on iPad to project their mural designs onto city buildings.
In addition to broadening their capabilities as artists, YAM helps its participants leverage art to speak to the issues directly affecting their communities. “The YAM program encouraged us to help people and shed light on different topics,” says Aliyah Pflueger, a YAM student artist who applied to the program as a way to help develop her creative abilities. “We have a voice through this program to say something. People want to hear what kids have to say and what’s going on around them. We’re telling our story and helping our community.”
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