Youth Workers’ Alliance Celebrates and Rewards Local Young Artists

BOSTON/South End - The Youth Workers’ Alliance of the South End/Lower Roxbury welcomed dozens of students, parents, teachers, youth workers, and other members of the community to their 7th annual Youth Shines! Art Auction on Wednesday in the auditorium of the Ben Franklin Institute of Technology.

The first hour of the event was dedicated to a silent auction. As the musician Kabluna provided the jazzy soundtrack for the evening, the room hummed with energy while enthusiastic young artists between the ages of 6 and 21 showcased their original work to a crowd of bighearted patrons. Emcee Dave Brown of WCVB-TV eventually led the spectators into the live auction featuring six donated pieces.

Hopes were high for a substantial turnout and generous bids, as all proceeds from the event benefit a diverse mix of youth organizations affiliated with the YWA.

Vivian Smith-Barnes, a YWA member and coordinator of this event explains, “We always hope for 25,000 dollars or more in donations because the funds go directly to YWA. When you support the YWA, you support at least 40 other youth programs. That translates into a little over 150 youth workers.” These professionals work with and support the 5,000 young people in the community.

Indeed, the event drew a large audience willing to donate their money to the cause – just one of the paintings in the live auction earned the YWA 600 dollars! But additional funding was not the only achievement of the night; every year, the auction provides local youth with the opportunity to express their opinions, emotions, and creativity to members of their community and beyond. The young artists mingled with their teachers and parents with a sense of pride, enthusiastically pointing out their pieces among the sea of colorful collages, paintings, prints, and drawings.

Frankie Correa, a 14-year-old member of the Cacique Youth Program in Villa Victoria, donated a self-portrait to the live art auction: “I’m happy to contribute to other youth programs because I work for one too. I’ve always done art, but this is the first time I’ve been part of the live auction. At past auctions, I’ve seen how proud people were to give away their artwork, and now I know how good it feels to give my artwork to the programs,” says Correa.

Shineekqua Walker, a 17-year-old member of Roxbury Environmental Empowerment Project (REEP), was moved by the organization and success of the auction. She explains, “As I’ve been getting more involved as a youth organizer, I’ve noticed that I am part of a really powerful generation. Look at the art auction right now; the kids drew all of these pictures in order to earn money for our programs. Hopefully the people see our communities reflected in the artwork and see how things are through our eyes.”

YWA has been gaining momentum in recent years as more and more youth workers join the network. Marléna Rose, the program director of REEP, felt the auction brought greater awareness to the importance of youth work in urban communities. Rose says, “Youth work is probably one of the most undervalued careers out there. Many of us work underpaid, for many more hours than we’re paid for, to make sure that young people are safe and have safe environments to spend time in. A lot of us do things well outside our job descriptions in terms of supporting the individual lives of the young people that we work with. It’s a 24/7 job.”

The auction was co-presented by Ben Franklin Institute of Technology, Blackstone/Franklin Square Neighborhood Association, and Old Dover Neighborhood Association.

Check out the YWA website at: http://www.youthworkersalliance.org/