Malika Whitley: How the arts help homeless youth heal and build
Malika Whitley: Cómo el arte ayuda a jóvenes sin hogar a sanar y construir
Malika Whitley is an arts curator and activist in Atlanta, Georgia. Full bio
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that small block of time
ese pequeño espacio de tiempo
for that sweet moment of escape.
para ese dulce momento de evasión.
la falta de vivienda siendo adolescente.
homelessness as a teenager.
for stability and sureness,
reserva a la estabilidad y la seguridad,
everything you own in your book bag
en tu mochila
you're allowed to sit in any given place
sentarte en un lugar
por encontrar estabilidad
lost herself to mania
temporalmente en la locura
como su principal chivo expiatorio
as its primary scapegoat
that homelessness was safer for me
de vivienda era más seguro para mí
I joined Atlanta's 3,300 homeless youth
a los 3300 jóvenes sin hogar de Atlanta
to walk off the street
salga de la calle
la gente pensaba en la vida en la calle
thought of homelessness
squalor and inconvenience,
debilidad inducidas por las drogas,
full of clothes and schoolbooks,
llena de ropa y libros escolares,
en mi banco favorito en el centro
a few hours of sleep
unas pocas horas de sueño
en centros de almacenamiento.
disappeared into the shadows of the city
desaparecía en las sombras de la ciudad
had gone terribly wrong.
de verdad tan mal.
almost completely broke my spirit.
casi rompió mi espíritu.
I had the arts,
tenía las artes,
in exchange for refuge.
a cambio de refugio.
en una obra de teatro
when I felt at my lowest.
cuando me sentí en mi punto más bajo.
on Wednesday evenings
los miércoles en la noche
the arts gave me,
que las artes me daban,
where the only thing that mattered
donde lo único que importaba
the right note in the song
la nota correcta en la canción
to give myself permission
darme la licencia
y cantar.
I started my organization, ChopArt,
comencé mi organización ChopArt,
arts organization for homeless minors.
multidisciplinaria para menores sin hogar.
as a tool for trauma recovery
para la recuperación del trauma
sobre la construcción de la comunidad,
about building community
in Atlanta, Georgia,
in Hyderabad, India, and Accra, Ghana,
en Hyderabad, India, y Accra, Ghana,
40 000 adolescentes en todo el mundo.
elements of the arts,
de las artes,
ChopArt provides for them to do that.
que ChopArt les brinda para que lo hagan.
uses the arts to step into their light,
las artes para entrar en su luz,
is not an easy one.
no es fácil.
Jeremy y Kelly,
for over three years.
más de tres años.
every Wednesday evening.
todos los miércoles por la noche.
seize and die right in front of them.
se quitaba la vida muriendo ante ellos.
failed to revive her.
no pudieron revivirla.
to their ChopArt mentor, Erin,
a su mentora de ChopArt, Erin,
an extra pair of clothes on their way out.
ropa adicional en su salida.
and resolve in ChopArt
de Jeremy y Kelly en ChopArt
con fuerza en este trabajo.
en su momento más bajo,
whatever she could
amados y cuidados,
the arts as the entry point,
al usar las artes como punto de entrada,
our homeless youth population.
nuestra población juvenil sin hogar.
between medical bills or the rent.
entre facturas médicas o el alquiler.
of painting through ChopArt.
por la pintura a través de ChopArt.
most of her teenage years
la mayor parte de su adolescencia,
para regresar a sí misma
for her young shoulders.
pesados para sus jóvenes hombros.
en la furgoneta
with the rest of her family.
experiencing homelessness,
de construir en su interior.
what you've been through.
to stand in your light
para pararse en su luz
en sus momentos más oscuros,
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