SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — During June, 2012, a dozen teen girls from San Diego spent a week participating in the Girls Give Back “Crafting Social Change” program, where they learned how to give back to the community through the arts. Girls Give Back, a program of Jewish Family Service empowers teens to become the next generation of female leaders. Participants hone their leadership skills through the planning and execution of service projects.
“In this particular program,” said Jessica Nare, MA, Girls Give Back Coordinator, “ high school girls learned about social justice issues and how to “craft social change” around issues they care about. Each teen selected and researched a passion topic and spent the week creating a mixed media piece to educate the community on their issue.
As a culminating project, said Nare, teens filled their own 16 x 20 shadow box with the 3D art, poetry, photography, creative writing, oil pastels and collages they created over the course of the week. The result was a visual representation of specific community problems plaguing San Diego and teen-identified solutions for each. Some of the topics addressed include teen dating violence, girls and body image, budget cuts to education, animal rights, recycling, children and war, bullying, and Israel advocacy.
Reflecting on the week, one teen said, “This was an amazing and very unique experience I think all girls should have.” Another participant realized that, “Even if your voice is small, the way you put your heart and soul into art is something irreplaceable and can make a difference.”
The “Crafting Social Change” exhibit is currently on display at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center until August 1, 2012. A similar Girls Give Back exhibition will debut in the next year at the San Diego International Airport.
*
Preceding provided by Jewish Family Service. For additional information on Girls Give Back, please visit www.jfssd.org/girlsgiveback and join in on the conversation on the Girls Give Back Facebook pag