January 2007 – December 2011. For five years, from January 2007 to December 2011, I mentored and taught art to local youth in my Chinatown art studio. I called the project HABLA: Harvesting Asian Black Latino Artists and ran it as a grassroots nonprofit. The work involved my hosting of educational discussions, junior board meetings, art workshops, student exhibitions, poetry readings, field trips and guest lecturers for the youth. (Scroll down to view the education plan I designed and used for the youth.)
At the nearby Ramón C. Cortines, Visual and Performing Arts High School (VAPA), I mentored teenagers, during school hours. Part of the mentoring at the high school involved my hosting art shows of the students’ work in the basement gallery of my art studio. This was exciting for the students, because my art studio was located on the main strip (Chung King Road) of the Chinatown art gallery district. I also brought to VAPA motivational guest speakers, all highly accomplished in their fields, some celebrities. They gave talks to the teens, during group assemblies, about their careers and the steps they took to reach their goals. I also gave educational talks and performed Song of Che Chango at VAPA student assemblies.
For a photo album of the HABLA adult collaborative, click here. Otherwise, scroll down for photos of my work mentoring the youth,
SLIDE SHOW: My Chinatown, L.A. Youth Mentoring Program, Los Angeles, Jan 2007- Dec 2011
Education Plan by Lili Bernard for Chinatown, L.A. Youth Mentoring Four A Squares Model: Arts, Academics And Achievement
Molding paths towards successful careers through Arts, Academics And Achievement Arts: Visual & Performing Arts are necessary components in life and society. Academics: Education is empowering. Most successful careers begin with academics. And: Combining Arts and Academics for success in all aspects of life, professionally and emotionally, is highly useful. Achievement: Setting and achieving concrete step-by-step goals is imperative. Goals: Goals are set via a monthly program. Each month has a theme. The following are examples of monthly goals.
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