How the arts help homeless youth heal and build | Malika Whitley

翻译人员: Peipei Xiang 校对人员: Yolanda Zhang

Don't you love a good nap?

你一定喜欢睡午觉吧？

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Just stealing away that small block of time

借着偷走的一点光阴，

to curl up on your couch for that sweet moment of escape.

蜷缩在你的沙发上， 仿佛逃离了整个世界。

It's one of my favorite things,

这是我很喜欢做的一件事，

but something I took for granted

是我认为理所当然的事，

before I began experiencing homelessness as a teenager.

直到我成了一个 无家可归的青少年。

The ability to take a nap is only reserved for stability and sureness,

睡午觉的特权是只给 有着稳定生活的人预留的，

something you can't find

这种特权是可能被剥夺的——

when you're carrying everything you own in your book bag

当你把所有的家当 都背在身上的时候，

and carefully counting the amount of time you're allowed to sit in any given place

当你要小心数着每一刻 坐在一个地方的光阴的时候——

before being asked to leave.

因为你下一刻就可能被赶走。

I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia,

我在美国乔治亚州的 亚特兰大长大，

bouncing from house to house

从一个地方辗转到另一个地方，

with a loving, close-knit family

我有一个充满爱的亲密家庭，

as we struggled to find stability

虽然我们的经济状况

in our finances.

不太稳定。

But when my mom temporarily lost herself to mania

但是当我的妈妈患上精神病

and when that mania chose me as its primary scapegoat

并把我当做替罪羊的时候，

through both emotional and physical abuse,

当我经受情感上和 肉体上的虐待的时候，

I fled for my safety.

为了我的人身安全，我逃离了。

I had come to the conclusion that homelessness was safer for me

我得出结论，比起回家， 无家可归对我来说

than being at home.

是个更安全的选择。

I was 16.

那时我 16 岁。

During my homelessness, I joined Atlanta's 3,300 homeless youth

无家可归的我成了亚特兰大 3300 名无家可归的青少年中的一员，

in feeling uncared for,

夜幕降临时，感觉无人关心，

left out and invisible each night.

被抛弃，成了隐形人。

There wasn't and still is not any place

那时候没有，至今也还没有一个

for a homeless minor to walk off the street

无家可归的未成年人可以去，

to access a bed.

并睡上一觉的地方。

I realized that most people thought of homelessness

我知道，很多人觉得无家可归的人

as some kind of lazy, drug-induced squalor and inconvenience,

都是懒惰的、有毒瘾的、 肮脏的社会负担，

but that didn't represent my book bag full of clothes and schoolbooks,

但这不能代表我那个 装满了衣服和书的书包，

or my A+ grade point average.

和我全优的成绩。

I would sit on my favorite bench downtown

我会坐在市中心最爱的长椅上，

and watch as the hours passed by

看着时光流逝，

until I could sneak in a few hours of sleep

直到我能够偷偷睡上几个小时，

on couches, in cars,

不管是在沙发上、车上，

in buildings or in storage units.

还是在楼里或仓库里。

I, like thousands of other homeless youth, disappeared into the shadows of the city

像上千名无家可归的其他青少年一样， 我消失在了这个城市的影子里，

while the whole world kept spinning

而世界依然在不停转动，

as if nothing at all had gone terribly wrong.

就好像什么都没发生一样。

The invisibility alone almost completely broke my spirit.

仅仅这种隐形感 就几乎彻底击垮了我。

But when I had nothing else, I had the arts,

但是当我一无所有的时候， 我还有艺术，

something that didn't demand

它不向我索取

material wealth from me in exchange for refuge.

任何回报作为交换。

A few hours of singing, writing poetry

几个小时的唱歌、写诗，

or saving up enough money

或者攒足够的钱

to disappear into another world at a play

然后消失到一个戏剧的世界里，

kept me going and jolting me back to life when I felt at my lowest.

它们让我坚持下去， 并在我最低迷的时候把我拉了回来。

I would go to church services on Wednesday evenings

每个星期三晚上我都会去教堂，

and, desperate for the relief the arts gave me,

如此渴望艺术带给我的心灵放松，

I would go a few hours early,

我通常会提前几个小时去，

slip downstairs

然后溜到楼下，

and into a part of the world where the only thing that mattered

进入另一个世界， 那里唯一重要的事情

was whether or not I could hit the right note in the song

就是我能不能把我那个星期

I was perfecting that week.

练的那首歌的旋律唱准。

I would sing for hours.

我会练上好几个小时，

It gave me so much strength to give myself permission

它给了我力量，让我允许自己

to just block it all out and sing.

忘记一切并尽情歌唱。

Five years later, I started my organization, ChopArt,

五年后，我创办了 自己的组织 ChopArt，

which is a multidisciplinary arts organization for homeless minors.

这是一个针对无家可归的 青少年的多学科艺术组织。

ChopArt uses the arts as a tool for trauma recovery

ChopArt 借助艺术 这个工具来修复创伤，

by taking what we know about building community

将我们对打造社区、

and restoring dignity

重塑尊严的认识

and applying that to the creative process.

运用到艺术创作的过程中去。

ChopArt is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia,

ChopArt 的总部在 乔治亚州的亚特兰大，

with additional programs in Hyderabad, India, and Accra, Ghana,

在印度的海德拉巴 和加纳的阿克拉也有项目。

and since our start in 2010,

从 2010 年创立至今，

we've served over 40,000 teens worldwide.

我们已经服务了 全球 4 万名青少年。

Our teens take refuge

我们的青少年

in the transformative elements of the arts,

在艺术的魔力中找到慰藉，

and they depend on the safe space ChopArt provides for them to do that.

他们需要 ChopArt 给他们提供这样的安全空间。

An often invisible population uses the arts to step into their light,

隐形的人群可以借助 艺术站到灯光下，

but that journey out of invisibility is not an easy one.

但是踏出那个隐形的区域 却并不是那么容易的。

We have a sibling pair, Jeremy and Kelly,

我们有一对兄妹，杰里米和凯莉，

他们来我们机构已经三年多了。

who have been with our program for over three years.

They come to the ChopArt classes every Wednesday evening.

他们每个星期三晚上 都会来上 ChopArt 的课。

But about a year ago,

但是大约一年前，

Jeremy and Kelly witnessed their mom seize and die right in front of them.

杰里米和凯莉亲眼目睹了 他们的母亲病情发作并死亡。

They watched as the paramedics failed to revive her.

他们亲眼看着急救医护人员 未能抢救回她的生命。

They cried as their father

他们哭着，看着他们的父亲

signed over temporary custody to their ChopArt mentor, Erin,

把临时监护权签给了 ChopArt 的艾琳老师，

without even allowing them to take an extra pair of clothes on their way out.

他们甚至都没来得及 在出门时多拿上一件衣服。

This series of events broke my heart,

这件事让我感到心碎，

but Jeremy and Kelly's faith and resolve in ChopArt

但是杰里米和凯莉 对 ChopArt 的信仰和决心

is what keeps me grounded in this work.

是鼓励我坚持做这项工作的动力。

Kelly calling Erin in her lowest moment,

凯莉会在最低落的时候 给艾琳打电话，

knowing that Erin would do whatever she could

因为她知道艾琳会尽自己最大的努力

to make them feel loved and cared for,

让他们感觉到被爱和被关心，

is proof to me that by using the arts as the entry point,

这些都让我相信 用艺术作为切入点，

we can heal and build our homeless youth population.

我们可以给无家可归的 青少年人群疗伤，帮助他们重建生活。

And we continue to build.

我们的脚步一刻也没有停下。

We build with Devin,

我们帮助德文重建生活，

who became homeless with his family

德文一家变得无家可归，

when his mom had to choose between medical bills or the rent.

因为他妈妈不得不 在医疗账单和房租之间做出选择。

He discovered his love of painting through ChopArt.

他通过 ChopArt 发现了自己对油画的热爱。

We build with Liz,

我们帮助丽兹重建生活，

who has been on the streets most of her teenage years

她的整个青少年时代 几乎都是在大街上度过的，

but turns to music to return to herself

但是她通过音乐找回自己，

when her traumas feel too heavy for her young shoulders.

尤其在她年轻的肩膀 不堪重压的时候。

We build for Maria,

我们帮助玛利亚重建生活，

who uses poetry to heal

她用诗歌疗伤。

after her grandfather died in the van

在她的祖父在面包车中死去后，

she's living in with the rest of her family.

她和她的家人现在住在车里面。

And so to the youth out there experiencing homelessness,

无家可归的青少年们，

let me tell you,

让我告诉你们，

you have the power to build within you.

你们内心有重建生活的力量，

You have a voice through the arts

你可以通过艺术找到你的声音，

that doesn't judge what you've been through.

艺术不会评判你的过往。

So never stop fighting to stand in your light

永远不要放弃站到灯光下的努力，

because even in your darkest times,

因为即使在你最黑暗的时刻，

we see you.

我们也在注视着你！

Thank you.

谢谢！

(Applause)

（掌声）