NZ Teens Paint their Stories and Live their Truth

Where did we grow up? What are our beliefs and values? How does our gender, race and ethnicity matter? At Neutral Zone, teens are engaging in dialogue and creating art expressing different identities that matter to them.

The conversation is rooted in restorative practice, sitting in a circle, with time for reflecting, listening and sharing. Teens then write, draw, and paint symbols or images that express their identities on our walls, building one large collaborative mural. They write bold statements like “destroy your idea of gender” or create pictures depicting their specific experience as a teen of multi-racial descent.

TIKUN OLAM

I chose to paint a Hebrew phrase that represents who I am as well as my values as a person. The writing says “tikun olam,” which translates to “repair the world.” It's a saying I heard a lot growing up and I think its meaning for me personally has evolved as I've grown older. Repairing the world could mean standing up against inequality, preventing climate change, supporting those in need, and so much more. - Noa Wilensky, NZ teen

This past year, with the support of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation’s youth council, we’ve hosted a series of conversations with teens deepening our shared understanding of identity and diversity and examining what is needed to create a more inclusive environment–a community where identities are shared, valued, and honored.

In November 2021, a passionate group of teens formed a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Activism Council. The council’s purpose is to reflect on the current NZ climate, learn from each other, and generate ideas, workshops and activities – all to build a more inclusive culture. The DEI&A Council is also creating a workbook with workshops and events materials that can be used in the training of youth facilitators for discussions and peer education opportunities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Teens will continue to add to the mural as an evolving, visual story of equity and inclusion at the Neutral Zone. Their artistic expression is critical in illustrating that, as a community, we are constantly discovering and processing the identities we hold and working to reveal and hold space for pieces of our story and live in our truth.