Creating presence in the state of absence with students In the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice

Within the juvenile justice system, it’s common for students in the system to have lots of artistic drive, but lack the confidence to express it. Without some sort of outlet this becomes a normal for these students incarcerated. The smallest amount of guidance and to be heard is what could be the turning point in their lives. My presentation goes into depth about what that process is like and the journey that happens, and not only from my perspective as a peer leader in the new connections collision project, but the impact it had on the students and everyone involved. I will be supporting that with articles such as “More than Decoration: Art in Juvenile Prisons” by Katy Mccart. In that article it stated “Art can play a significant role in the process of healing. In the world of health design (Doctor’s offices, hospitals, etc.) there has been a huge movement towards “evidence-based art”– art and design initiatives with observable health outcomes” and goes on to say “Other important outcomes include patient ratings of perceived pain, satisfaction with services, and economic outcomes. Studies in the last decade have found some amazing correlations between art programs/visuals and reduced anxiety, stress, fatigue, increased pain tolerance”. The Collision Project is a project in metro Atlanta that takes young teens who create art and show them the power and voice they have as an artist while colliding with an original text. This process was intertwined with the juvenile justice system to show students the voice they have