Na vijf workshops klaar voor het 'grote werk'!

I’ve just completed the fifth art workshop with the kids in Chimaltenango and we’re getting closer to actually painting the mural!
Last week Grade 7-9 of this m...iddle school made a collective collage to practice the technique of composing an image out of small squares. It was a lot of work (over 2000 pieces of paper were glued on!) but the kids did get the concept and the result looks pretty good.
Last Thursday we finally talked about the theme for the mural. We discussed what the main problems are in their lives, what changes they would like to see in the future and what they themselves could do to help make their community a better place. There were a lot of interesting answers, but the overwhelming problem in their community was clearly violence (delinquency, gangs, rapes, extortion, intimidation, insults, robberies, assaults etc.). The kids would like to see less violence, more police on the streets, more cameras and a united community against crime. What they themselves could do was even more interesting: setting a good example, showing leadership, promoting respect and tolerance, being nice to others and giving people a (second) chance.