Malika Whitley: How the arts help homeless youth heal and build
Malika Whitley: Como as artes podem ajudar os jovens moradores de rua
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.
e escapar dos problemas.
homelessness as a teenager.
durante a adolescência.
for stability and sureness,
estabilidade e segurança,
everything you own in your book bag
os pertences numa bolsa,
you're allowed to sit in any given place
sentar em um lugar público
no estado da Geórgia,
lost herself to mania
em um episódio de mania,
as its primary scapegoat
me escolheu como vítima principal
that homelessness was safer for me
morar na rua era melhor
I joined Atlanta's 3,300 homeless youth
moradores de rua de Atlanta
to walk off the street
thought of homelessness
que a maioria das pessoas
squalor and inconvenience,
drogados e inconvenientes,
full of clothes and schoolbooks,
minha bolsa cheia de roupas e livros,
a few hours of sleep
umas horinhas de sono
disappeared into the shadows of the city
eu desapareci nas sombras da cidade,
continuava girando,
had gone terribly wrong.
almost completely broke my spirit.
quase acabava com a esperança.
I had the arts,
eu tinha a arte,
in exchange for refuge.
ou escrevendo poesia,
when I felt at my lowest.
quando chegava ao fundo.
on Wednesday evenings
the arts gave me,
where the only thing that mattered
tudo o que importava
the right note in the song
a nota certa na música
to give myself permission
I started my organization, ChopArt,
arts organization for homeless minors.
para jovens moradores de rua.
as a tool for trauma recovery
ferramenta de reabilitação,
about building community
sobre a criação de comunidades
in Atlanta, Georgia,
in Hyderabad, India, and Accra, Ghana,
na Índia e no Gana.
jovens no mundo todo.
elements of the arts,
ChopArt provides for them to do that.
isso de forma saudável.
uses the arts to step into their light,
para encontrar a própria luz,
is not an easy one.
for over three years.
há mais de três anos.
every Wednesday evening.
da ChopArt toda quarta.
seize and die right in front of them.
ter convulsões e morrer.
failed to revive her.
tentarem ressuscitá-la.
to their ChopArt mentor, Erin,
orientadora da ChopArt, a Erin,
an extra pair of clothes on their way out.
roupas extras na hora de sair.
and resolve in ChopArt
whatever she could
que receberia ajuda
the arts as the entry point,
our homeless youth population.
nos nossos jovens de rua.
between medical bills or the rent.
ou as contas médicas.
of painting through ChopArt.
pela pintura na ChopArt.
most of her teenage years
pela maior parte da adolescência,
for her young shoulders.
grandes demais para a sua idade.
with the rest of her family.
experiencing homelessness,
que não julga o seu passado.
what you've been through.
to stand in your light
para encontrar sua luz,
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