©2020 Art from Ashes IncVirtual Prompts
Art from Ashes has been and will continue to offer young people a much-needed creative outlet…
Latest news from Art from Ashes!
Laura Peña Painting
Laura has committed to donate 50% of profits to AfA when you purchase anything from LauraPenaPainting through April.
Noah Workshops
Noah workshops…get it? On top of a pandemic, our offices were flooded. So, yeah. Everyone’s working from home!
Dry Dock Brewery
Art from Ashes is the recipient of the generosity of Dry Dock Brewing Co. and the Brew Hut! Read more about Dry Dock’s community engagement…
Celebration of Light Recap
The annual Celebration of Light at Art from Ashes was an evening full of sparkling lights, heart-warming performances, and even shinier words…
Colorado State Tax ReFund
Ever think you’d hear exciting news about your taxes? Well check that off your bucket list…Now you can legally get creative with your taxes!
Creative Time Farewell
Although we’re saying a fond farewell to our Thursday Creative Time, we have a plan to keep the art happenin’! Wanna know what it is?
Colorado Sun Article
Thank you to poet, activist and Art from Ashes board member Theo E.J. Wilson for this wonderful piece in The Colorado Sun!
Poetry program helps inner city kids navigate their way past depression and suicidal thoughts
When a teen’s suicide is prevented by a notepad and a pen, you take notice.
When a poetry program does this for more than 14,000 youth without the slightest bit of fanfare, you scratch your head. Why isn’t Art from Ashes on billboards already? Why aren’t they in every school, every youth treatment center and correctional facility in the state?
There’s a lot of lip service in our country about caring for the mental health of young people, but who is doing the work? Who is in the trenches, face to face, with the very youth who’ve been counted out by test scores, teachers and even parents? Well, Catherine O’Neill Thorn has been for over 16 years now.
Shortly after their fundraiser for Colorado Gives day, I sat down with her at Art from Ashes headquarters for a candid conversation about poetry, youth and possibilities.
She’s into poetry, but she’s nobody’s wilting flower. A welcoming smile guarded with piercing eyes, O’Neill Thorn has the kind of savvy you’d expect from a woman effectively working with inner city youth for decades.
Her accent rarely betrays her British birth, but when it does, it’s endearing. I asked her how her work with youth began.
“I began on the board of a residential treatment center for young male offenders, ages 11 through 18,” she says. Around that time, she had learned about poetry therapy, and was interested in trying it with the youth in that treatment center. It dawned on her, “Well, I’m already reading stories to them once a week, so why don’t I have them write poetry?”
Before long, she developed a curriculum. It caught on very quickly in youth group after youth group. According to O’Neill Thorn, whatever skepticism anyone may have had toward a poetry program being effective in the lives of tough inner city youth was quelled by the youth, themselves.
Catherine O’Neill Thorn (Courtesy of Art from Ashes)
“Young people are literally dying to talk about what’s going on for them … especially when their stories threaten the adults in their lives,” O’Neill Thorn says.
The idea of self-expression being a life-or-death matter shouldn’t be so hard to fathom, especially if one honestly considers the angst of their own youth.
Many of us recall the sensitive fragility of our young, raw emotions newly assaulted by a cold and unfriendly world. It seems a part of O’Neill Thorn never grew callous to the slights of life as so many adults have. In talking to her, I imagine that I am conversing with a faithful, yet wiser copy of her adolescent self.
She doesn’t see herself as unique. She runs adult workshops with Art from Ashes with unique prompts for the adults attendees.
“Many adults see themselves as disconnected and lonely as well,” O’Neill Thorn says. “We’ve been trained out of our creative brains by the time we’re 7 years old. Creativity is unlearned. Adults have to give them themselves permission to be creative. You have to give them permission to be wrong and take risks.”
O’Neill Thorn says that when adults finally engage in the process, the results are life-altering.
I began to question, “Why?” Why do simple writing prompts shift paradigms when done in the way this program teaches? It turns out that there is an underlying formula to the magic.
Expression and connection are emphasized in setting up prompts. But the power is in the third component: Transformation.
This transformation is in crafting a new narrative about who the writer is, and their intrinsic power to be the master of their own story. Like casting a new spell over the mind, new possibilities are unlocked once the writer is aware that they can rewrite themselves.
On Colorado Gives night, I sat in Art from Ashes headquarters in silent awe of the program. With Christmas lights, hors d’oeuvres and cookies abounding, the community of word magicians began to cast their spells of hope.
Young people spoke of their journey through treatment for depression, and how poetry was the secret ingredient that improved their outlook and grades. Some told stories of thwarted suicide due to the power of the pen. Adults shared how much they would have loved a program like this in the turbulent tides of their youth.
I count myself among the grown-up kids who could have used a transformational poetry program when I felt invisible, a fact I shared with the party.
Then, O’Neill Thorn grabbed the microphone and spoke with the passion of a teenager who never gave up on her dream to change the world. When the time came to ask the audience to donate, that purity of spirit made the ask a little challenging … and I totally get it.
When it’s your passion to help, asking for money is hard. Without it, however, the vision dies. For these young people whose lives have been literally saved by the program, survival is a must, so you ask.
Through misty eyes, I made the decision to write this column. Art from Ashes is nothing short of magic, and it belongs to the Denver community. It is as much a diamond in the rough as the youth it serves, and I only pray this city has the good sense to keep it shining.
Theo Wilson is a poet, speaker, activist and CNN contributor. Learn more about him at TheoWilson.net.
2019 Annual Letter
Happy Season of Light!
(download a pdf of the annual letter here: 2019 Annual Letter)
Thanks to your generous contributions over the years, Art from Ashes has been able to touch the lives of 14,000 youth, allowing them to recognize their value and their creative genius. That means 14,000 young people had at least two adults tell them their voice is important and their story is their own, defined by no one else. It means that 14,000 citizens and future leaders are walking around right now with the knowledge that they matter, they are not alone, and that they have the power to change the world.
Our country, and in particular Denver, is growing and changing rapidly. We see shadows of the way it used to be, and it seems like one week an old staple is occupying four walls and the next, gone. In times of change, it can be difficult to remember what community means. What can we rely on to give us a sense of stability? How can we maintain a connection to our community?
You as a contributor, our volunteers, our facilitators, our staff, and most importantly the youth who show up to our workshops and events are the community of Art from Ashes. We are a group of people who value the experiences, ideas, and hopes of young people. Whether you’re new to Denver or you’ve moved halfway across the world—no matter how near or how far—you are still a part of this community because of those values.
Communities thrive and grow when they are supported from within by individuals like you. When you spend money at a local shop, you’re supporting your neighbor. When you spend time sitting on your front stoop and saying hello to your neighbors, you’re creating a culture of trust and safety. When you volunteer in your neighborhood or go to a town hall, you’re contributing to the life of your community. At this time of year, when giving and gratitude are at the forefront, we ask that you choose to invest in your AfA community with a financial contribution. Because when you invest in Art from Ashes, you are investing in the youth. We are consistently astonished by the beauty and eloquence that come from our youth poets and by their ability and willingness to be vulnerable with one another and with us. Our young people are generous with their creativity and conviction. We ask that you be generous in your support of them.
We recently posed the question “Why do you love Art from Ashes?” on our Art from Ashes Facebook page and were especially delighted with some of the responses:
Kumi Avila AfA Saved my life. They helped me grow and transform. They truly empowered me.
Ray Arterburn ‘Cause y’all are awesome! When I was trying to figure out myself I found this loving and understanding place that helps young people like me find their voice.
Brice Maiurro Because I’ve seen young poets develop into some of the most incredible and influential poets I’ve seen. To give folks at such a crucial point in life a sense of purpose is an important mission.
Nate Ragolia You help young people capture their voices, and having a voice in this world is the greatest empowerment!
Your gifts have not only helped us keep our workshops free for youth and supplement partnerships with schools and youth-serving agencies, but they also made it possible for us to reach more young people in the community with the power of creative expression and personal transformation. Because of you, we were able to complete and launch the Drawing on Air curriculum and by year’s end will have provided 50 weekly youth empowerment workshops this year using visual arts media. We were able to work with 1,358 youth so far this year! We renewed contracts with 11 ongoing partners and established nine new partnerships. Art from Ashes youth were invited to perform before the Denver Pops Orchestra concert, at the Central City Poetry Festival at the Teller Opera house, and we were invited to provide information about AfA at the Cavetown concert at The Ogden! This year we were featured on both Colorado and Company and 9News. We would not have been able to accomplish any of this without your generous support.
You have made it possible for us to beat the odds and thrive for 16 years, and we need your support once again as we reach out to more youth in 2020.
Here’s why: Perhaps you, too, can think of a time when the world seemed to have turned against you, and those you trusted betrayed you. Remember when you tried your hardest and still lost? This is the pain and hopelessness so many of the young people we serve live every day of their lives. Art from Ashes chooses to stand with them and for them in their despair. We have always believed that if we valued their lives, they would and could learn to value their lives, as well.
All battles are fought in the heart. And there is something we all can do to support that win in our young people—practical, real, love-in-action support.
Perhaps when you were at a loss you had friends, family members and neighbors help pay medical bills, make meals, clean your toilet, walk your pets, take out your trash… Perhaps during a time of need, you have received care packages or funny cards and letters of hope. When a young person is hanging on by a thread and can see no way to go on, Art from Ashes is that friend, and you, too, can be that friend when you join us. We stand alongside young people and provide the means for them to see that their life is valuable and that each breath is a celebration of light. We do this by revealing the transformative power of their own creative spirit.
When young people feel like giving up, we hope to provide the tools so they can imagine a future of love and peace. When they feel worthless, we are the friend who holds up a mirror and says, “You are beautiful in my eyes”… Now you say it. Can you see your own beauty? Hear it. Write it. Speak it. Draw it. Create a path to not only survival but joy with these pastels and this prompt given by someone who will hold space for you in your pain. Laugh through a poem and cry with another person who may have suffered the same thing you yourself have overcome.
This is Art from Ashes—joy, light and hope for youth. And the “standing alongside” you do may not involve volunteer time or facilitation. Maybe it is $10 or $20. Maybe even $1,000, depending on how you want to help. Either way, you are the friend in the story who gave hope to someone hanging on by their fingernails trying to survive the pain. You can be the one who heals. What better way to celebrate this season of light?
Will you make a donation to Art from Ashes in support of creative transformation for struggling youth?
Here’s what your donation provides:
If your employer matches your donation, please let us know!
- Your gift of $50 provides an honorarium for a guest poet or artist to inspire and motivate the young people in our workshops. (We pay artists!) click here
- We spend more than $1000 a year providing stipends to youth who perform their poetry for the community! Any amount you designate can support that goal: click here
- We believe in healthy food and LOTS of water. Your donation of $50 will provide enough of both for one 2-hour workshop for up to 20 young people! How many workshops would you like to support?: click here
- A monthly gift of $100 will support a year’s worth of workshops for one struggling youth.
- A one-time gift of $5000 will provide the cost of an 8-workshop program for 20 youth ($15/hr. per youth), which would include all operating costs and program expenses: click here
- Of course, we would very much appreciate any amount! Please designate an amount and mail a check or donate via Paypal, if you have an account (AfA gets 100% of your donation!) or via Colorado Gives.
We hope to see you at our annual Celebration of Light on Colorado Gives Day!
Not only are we celebrating 16 years of service to our community with volunteers, board members, partners, funders, sponsors, poets, artists, and youth, but all donations on Dec 10th are increased because of a generous incentive fund from Community First Foundation and FirstBank! You can schedule your donation now, if you’re unable to join us on the Big Day: click here
