Morpheus Youth Project with Carlos Chavez
Education is important for both youth and families, education through art is my preferred method. Traditional methods are not only boring but often are hard to access.
My motive for working with art is because it is simple, and it levels the playing field for youth. When we are talking about underprivileged youth, writing, reading, or even the diction they use become inhibitors in an educational setting.
By focusing on art, regardless of their background, youth can participate and have an opportunity at learning something new.
Morpheus Youth Project
This is why I was so motivated to be working in collaboration with Morpheus Youth Project(MYP). The Portland-based non-profit is led by Carlos Chavez, who works with youth inside detention centers and helps them transition out of the system.
He came to present some of his work with youth during a community meeting, and I loved it.
“When it comes to people who are experiencing the worst effects of climate change, a lot of those folks, I am working with” Carlos stated when I asked him about his initial thoughts on how he experiences climate change.
Carlos’s organization works to assist youth transition out of the system. Recently the fires taking place in the northwest of the United States have made youth at Mc Laren more interested in the topics of climate change.
The Language of Dancing
“As you put time into it, you are creating a gift” Carlos described what it is really that youth are doing as they prepare their dance movies before sharing it with the peers. He used the analogy of everyone bring food to a potluck.
What was most important in the exchange of gifts, was to give youth who have been positioned in difficult situations a space to express and communicate their histories with each other. From body language to spoken language, or dancing itself, it is pivotal how these youth communicate.
Message to Youth
“Allow yourself to be open, don’t be afraid to fail”. This is how you grow. This is how you improve on your lifestyle, regardless of what it is you will end up pursuing. “And make sure to not cut corners” Carlos stated as he emphasized.
Carlos Chavez
Carlos is the executive director of Morpheus Youth Project. He is from the bay area, he worked as a journalist in the LA area, and now engages youth in the Portland Metro area as they transition out of the system. He loves to cook all sorts of food, make graffiti, and “rock” or “break”
@MorpheusYouth (Twitter)
Find out more about Morpheus Youth Project at https://www.morpheusyouth.org/
While you are here
Hey, Alfredo here. While I was working for local government waste management, I knew that if I wanted to engage youth, I needed to do it in a way that was meaningful to them. This is how I cultivated my relationship with Carlos.
Carlos and I have worked on several projects. His passion to get youth in better situations has my highest admiration. Our conversation was over an hour long, we discussed environmental racism in LA all the way to how youth are doing post engaging in waste management projects.
You can listen to the full conversation of all of the shows on my Patreon page.
I would love it if you could be part of my community on Patreon because it will help me continue to generate this content. You will get access to the full conversations, behind the scenes, and maybe even a little gift.
What did you think of the conversation? Why do you think carbon catalyzes or inhibits the change in narrative? I would love to hear below!