Chris, a rising senior, talks about how his neighborhood taught him responsibility and how he is proud to be where he is from.
One of the most beautiful things about this project is that I got to reconnect with students that I worked with when they were in the 7th - 8th grade. Saniyah was one of those students. She is now a rising senior with a refined vision. It’s dope to see her growth as a leader. More importantly, killing the self-doubt.
Bj is now a Junior at Aiken High. I met him when he was in the 7th grade. He has always been a dope kid and he is really good at building community.
Destinee, a senior at Aiken High School, remembers her neighborhood as a tightly woven community where everyone knew one another and looked out for each other. Especially all the Amazing mothers on her block.
Building from Parable of the Sower, we explored Lauren's experience of hyper-empathy as a way to understand our own emotional landscapes. Students reflected on what it means to feel their environments deeply within their neighborhoods and school. We transformed those reflections into poetry.