The Triangle

Issue date: 1/14/11 Section: News

Media Credit: Photo Courtesy Kenyetta Overton Photo Courtesy Kenyetta Overton

Drexel University and the Center for Civic Engagement have become home to the Murals of the Mind Project, a creative writing experience that serves as a channel for preteens, teens and young adults citywide to express themselves and hone reading, writing and performance skills.

Kenyetta Overton, program coordinator for Murals of the Mind, started the project in 2004 as a one-month poetry workshop at St. Peter's School, where her youngest son attended. Overton was asked to develop and run a poetry-based workshop for the students, taking place during a "poetry month" the school was holding. The fourth grade classes at this downtown Philadelphia private school were the first to experience what would later become Murals of the Mind.

"I was struck by the impact the workshop had on the kids at the school and how it helped them tie in their curriculum to their daily lives," Overton said. "At the same time, I became infuriated by the ever increasing occurrences of violence perpetrated on and by youth in Philadelphia and elsewhere."

Overton also noticed the tragedy that students were failing in school systems nationwide.

"For years, cities around the country have consistently experienced increased high school dropout rates and violence among youth and young adults. I believe young people nationwide feel disenfranchised from, and misunderstood by, the mainstream."

Seeking to change these two emerging trends, her answer was to engage the students affected, not allowing them to slip through the cracks. Shortly after its inception, this small one-school project became a much bigger push for literacy, social interaction, academic success and self-esteem.

Today, the program accomplishes this by acting as a platform for Philadelphia youth ages six to 18 to present unique pieces of writing live - in front of their families, friends and the community. An anthology of these original works is published each year in order to praise and encourage the scholars responsible. Students of Murals of the Mind are asked to tell their stories, convey their innately unique points of view, and express their strides and struggles.

"Murals of the Mind strives to encourage young people to embrace, celebrate and accept their uniqueness - quirks and all," Overton said. "I was a product of the Philadelphia public school system, and I remember the impact the arts in school had on me regarding self-esteem, socialization and academics."

Continued...

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