Malika Whitley: How the arts help homeless youth heal and build
玛丽卡·惠特利: 艺术如何帮助无家可归的青少年疗伤和规划
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.
仿佛逃离了整个世界。
homelessness as a teenager.
无家可归的青少年。
for stability and sureness,
有着稳定生活的人预留的,
都背在身上的时候,
everything you own in your book bag
you're allowed to sit in any given place
坐在一个地方的光阴的时候——
亚特兰大长大,
lost herself to mania
as its primary scapegoat
肉体上的虐待的时候,
that homelessness was safer for me
无家可归对我来说
I joined Atlanta's 3,300 homeless youth
3300 名无家可归的青少年中的一员,
to walk off the street
thought of homelessness
肮脏的社会负担,
squalor and inconvenience,
装满了衣服和书的书包,
full of clothes and schoolbooks,
a few hours of sleep
disappeared into the shadows of the city
我消失在了这个城市的影子里,
had gone terribly wrong.
almost completely broke my spirit.
就几乎彻底击垮了我。
I had the arts,
我还有艺术,
in exchange for refuge.
when I felt at my lowest.
并在我最低迷的时候把我拉了回来。
on Wednesday evenings
the arts gave me,
where the only thing that mattered
那里唯一重要的事情
the right note in the song
to give myself permission
I started my organization, ChopArt,
自己的组织 ChopArt,
arts organization for homeless minors.
青少年的多学科艺术组织。
as a tool for trauma recovery
这个工具来修复创伤,
about building community
in Atlanta, Georgia,
乔治亚州的亚特兰大,
in Hyderabad, India, and Accra, Ghana,
和加纳的阿克拉也有项目。
全球 4 万名青少年。
elements of the arts,
ChopArt provides for them to do that.
给他们提供这样的安全空间。
uses the arts to step into their light,
艺术站到灯光下,
却并不是那么容易的。
is not an easy one.
for over three years.
every Wednesday evening.
都会来上 ChopArt 的课。
seize and die right in front of them.
他们的母亲病情发作并死亡。
failed to revive her.
未能抢救回她的生命。
to their ChopArt mentor, Erin,
ChopArt 的艾琳老师,
an extra pair of clothes on their way out.
在出门时多拿上一件衣服。
and resolve in ChopArt
对 ChopArt 的信仰和决心
给艾琳打电话,
whatever she could
the arts as the entry point,
用艺术作为切入点,
our homeless youth population.
青少年人群疗伤,帮助他们重建生活。
between medical bills or the rent.
在医疗账单和房租之间做出选择。
of painting through ChopArt.
发现了自己对油画的热爱。
most of her teenage years
几乎都是在大街上度过的,
for her young shoulders.
不堪重压的时候。
with the rest of her family.
experiencing homelessness,
what you've been through.
to stand in your light
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