Malika Whitley: How the arts help homeless youth heal and build
مليكة وايتلي: كيف تساعد الفنون الشباب المشردين على التعافي والبناء
Malika Whitley is an arts curator and activist in Atlanta, Georgia. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
that small block of time
for that sweet moment of escape.
هذه اللحظة العذبة من الهروب.
homelessness as a teenager.
في سن المراهقة.
for stability and sureness,
تتطلب توافر الاستقرار والثبات،
everything you own in your book bag
في حقيبة كتبك
you're allowed to sit in any given place
لك فيه بالجلوس في أي مكان تذهب إليه
lost herself to mania
بالجنون لفترة من الوقت،
as its primary scapegoat
ككبش فداء رئيسي
that homelessness was safer for me
I joined Atlanta's 3,300 homeless youth
وثلاث مائة شاب بلا مأوى في أتلانتا،
to walk off the street
thought of homelessness
squalor and inconvenience,
مردُّها الكسل وإدمان المخدرات،
full of clothes and schoolbooks,
المليئة بالملابس وكتب الدرسة،
a few hours of sleep
بضع ساعات من النوم
disappeared into the shadows of the city
في ظلال المدينة،
had gone terribly wrong.
almost completely broke my spirit.
I had the arts,
كان لدي الفنّ،
in exchange for refuge.
في عالم آخر في مسرحية
when I felt at my lowest.
وأنا في أسوأ حالاتي النفسية.
on Wednesday evenings
التي تقام ليالي الأربعاء
the arts gave me,
where the only thing that mattered
حيث الشيء الوحيد المهم
the right note in the song
الصحيحة أم لا
to give myself permission
I started my organization, ChopArt,
مؤسستي تشوب آرت (ChopArt)
arts organization for homeless minors.
للقُصَّر المشردين.
as a tool for trauma recovery
كوسيلة للتعافي من الصدمة؛
about building community
in Atlanta, Georgia,
في أتلانتا في ولاية چورچيا،
in Hyderabad, India, and Accra, Ghana,
في حيدر أباد في الهند، وأكرا في غانا.
elements of the arts,
ChopArt provides for them to do that.
التي نوفرها لهم القيام بذلك.
uses the arts to step into their light,
يستخدمون الفنون للخروج إلى النور،
is not an easy one.
for over three years.
every Wednesday evening.
مساء الأربعاء من كل أسبوع.
seize and die right in front of them.
تتألم وتموت أمامهما.
failed to revive her.
to their ChopArt mentor, Erin,
لمعلمتهم في (تشوب آرت) إيرين،
an extra pair of clothes on their way out.
من الملابس قبل المغادرة.
and resolve in ChopArt
والعزيمة في (تشوب آرت)
بينما هي في أسوأ حالاتها
whatever she could
لجعلهم يشعرون بالحب والرعاية،
the arts as the entry point,
الفنون كمدخل،
our homeless youth population.
شبابنا المشردين.
between medical bills or the rent.
بين الفواتير الطبية والإيجار.
of painting through ChopArt.
most of her teenage years
لتعود إلى ذاتها
for her young shoulders.
مما تحتمله أكتافها الصغيرة.
التي تعيش فيها مع بقية عائلتها.
with the rest of her family.
experiencing homelessness,
يعانون من التشرد،
لا يحكم عليكم بما مررتم به.
what you've been through.
to stand in your light
للوقوف في النور؛
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Malika Whitley - Arts curator, activistMalika Whitley is an arts curator and activist in Atlanta, Georgia.
Why you should listen
At age 6, Malika Whitley began to experience homelessness with her family, then on her own at 16. During her homelessness, she found the arts as a tool for resistance from fully succumbing to the hardships of youth homelessness. After her experience, Whitley founded ChopArt, which is a multidisciplinary arts organization for homeless middle and high schoolers. Her work has been internationally recognized, as well as highlighted in Atlanta's local media. Most notably, Whitley has been named in Creative Loafing's "20 People to Watch", and ChopArt has been featured in Atlanta Magazine and on WSBTV. To support ChopArt's teens, please consider sponsoring a full year of programming for a homeless teen here.
Malika Whitley | Speaker | TED.com