Incarcerated Adults created murals as part of a self awareness project that provided them with a safe environment to reflect on their current lives. The participants were role models for local youth who were looking for ways they could improve themselves and the lives of others.
Inmates wrote to students at Bartram High School. They shared stories of prison, the mistakes they had made, and the bad choices that brought them to prison. Inmates also shared advice and positive artwork they created based on healing. The communication facilitated discussions about the similarities in appearance of the high school and prison, as well as how many of the students knew people in prison versus college.
Painting the murals and making artwork focused participants on changing both the internal person and the external environments from destructive to constructive!