Figuring It All Out

After filling out endless paperwork I was told to report to Groundswell's office for an informal orientation. There were about six of us sitting at a table with a heavily tattooed woman, whose name I later learned was Jessica. She explained when we would begin work, how and when we would get paid, told us which of Groundswell's six murals we would participate in and answered any questions we had. I was curious as to what extent we would collaborate with our lead artist to design and paint the mural-- would it be a paint by numbers type of thing? I was told that I did not have to have any artistic ability  to be hired... so how would a bunch of unartistic kids produce a beautiful mural like ones that had been done in years past? Jessica seemed taken aback by my question and explained that everything is done collaboratively and that the lead artist is there to guide us. 

I was placed in Voices Her'd, a group made up entirely of girls. My lead artist was named Katie Yamasaki, and we would paint in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. I was a little nervous about being with fifteen girls all summer and was worried it would get catty. Four weeks into the program, I find it funny that I was ever concerned about this. The biggest disagreement that occurs among us is who has to wash the brushes at the end of the day. 

I'm a city girl all the way and I pride myself on my keen directional sense. Although I had heard of Bed Stuy, I didn't have any idea where it was. Even now when friends ask where I work, I get some eyebrow raises and doubletakes when I say Bed Stuy...it has a reputation for being a "bad" neighborhood. Nevertheless, I was excited that I would be able to explore a new part of Brooklyn. I usually take the Franklin Aventue shuttle to get to work and then walk the seven or eight blocks to 85 Lexington Avenue where we work. Today I rode my bike there for the first time. Contrary to common belief, Bed Stuy is adorable. It's an underdeveloped, cultured version of Park Slope. There are quaint brownstones on tree-lined streets. Restaurants on the major avenues boast cuisines from all over the world, and there are various African churches, museums, and eatteries, all of which are fairly uncommon in my experience in New York. However, the first buds of gentrification are blooming-- trendy bars and cute but overpriced cupcake shops display "Grand Opening" signs in the windows. I'd give Starbucks a year before it moves in. 

The Arduous Job Search

Late into my junior year of high school I began thinking about my plans for the summer. I knew that I needed to get a job--my mom made this quite clear to me. The idea of employment was a foreign concept to me; I had spent my past summers luxuriously, whether at sleep away camp, playing soccer in Barcelona or roaming Tanzania. I had never had a job, nor had I ever been responsible for anything other than doing my homework or maybe getting myself to soccer practice. I have been babysitting for the same family on a weekly basis since I was 10--work that did not require an application, a résumé or an interview. I also hadn't spent an entire summer in Brooklyn for as long as I could remember. 

I didn't know where to begin. I was overwhelmed with options... did I want to work at a café? An ice cream store? Urban Outfitters? I searched around for a place that was offering reasonable hours and a task that wouldn't be painfully boring. I came across the day camp I used to go to--Park Explorers--and remembered that the director had offered me a job when I was younger. I printed out the application and began filling it out. By page 3 I had realized that I was not interested in spending 9 hours a day, 5 days a week with screaming, sweaty kids. I didn't want to be a camp counselor-- it was too standard. I was looking for something unique, something that gave back to my community, something that I would remember 40 years from now. My mom was growing impatient with my indecisiveness and my lack of success. When April rolled around I was getting a little nervous myself. 

I first found out about Groundswell Community Mural Project through a friend who had already applied. I immediately went home and looked it up. Groundswell is a non-profit

 organization that uses "art as a tool for social change by creating high quality works of public art in under-represented neighborhoods." I realized that I had been driving past Groundswell murals for years but I hadn't associated them with the name. I also didn't know that they were done by kids. I loved the idea of using art to explore social issues, and I applied that day.

I attend The Beacon School, a public high school in Manhattan with a very politically aware student body. During school vacations it is not uncommon for a Beacon student to go to South Africa, New Orleans, Ecuador, or Thailand to do community service. Don't get me wrong-- I love to travel; however, I think that there are numerous community service opportunities that go unattended closer to home in New York City. One of the reasons I was attracted to Groundswell was because it enables city teenagers to serve their own communities. 

I entered a lottery for the Student Youth Employment Program (SYEP), a government program that provides New York City youth ages 14-25 with summer employment and educational opportunities. After about a month I was notified that I had made the lottery and would start work with Groundswell on July 1st, 2009.