Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Your neighborhood. Your News.

Milwaukee NNSnewsMilwaukee NNSSearch
Subscribe to NNS today!
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Arts and Recreation
    • Community
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health and Wellness
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • NNS Spotlight
    • Special Report
  • Posts From Community
    • Submit a Story
  • Community Voices
  • How To
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Local Video
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect
    • NNS WGLB 1560 Radio
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • About
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • News 414
    • The neighborhoods we cover
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University


Language: English English Spanish Spanish

You are here: Home / News / Arts and Recreation / Male teen artists gain empathy for young women through TRUE Skool project

Male teen artists gain empathy for young women through TRUE Skool project

August 25, 2015 by Andrea Waxman Leave a Comment

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin


 
The brightly painted performance and gallery space at TRUE Skool vibrated with energy and anticipation at a recent gathering showcasing the teen participants’ summer work at the youth arts program.

“I had a chance to hear a few of you practice last week and was so moved by the thoughtfulness and effort that you put into honoring your sister’s stories,” Katie Mullen, youth mentor and board vice president, told the young male performers.

Domonique Whitehurst reads his original poem about lessons Tracy Rolkosky is learning from the challenges of poverty for “My Sister’s Story.” (Photo by Andrea Waxman)

Domonique Whitehurst reads his original poem about lessons Tracy Rolkosky is learning from the challenges of poverty for “My Sister’s Story.” (Photo by Andrea Waxman)

Each young man interviewed a teen woman about challenges she faces and then created a work of art — dance, original music, poetry or visual piece — that conveyed his view of those struggles. The goal was to build deeper, more respectful relationships through open, authentic communication.

Mullen and other members of the FROM HERE TO HER Artist Collective brought the project, “My Sister’s Story,” to TRUE Skool. First exhibited at the collective’s annual Women’s History Month exhibition in March, the original concept “was meant to push back against how popular culture has normalized competition among women and ‘mean-girlism’ by demonstrating the power of reaching out, listening to and empathizing with other women,” Mullen said.

TRUE Skool Program Director Shalina Ali suggested pairing the young men with young women. The project allowed the teens to connect with one another in a nonsexual way, something that can be hard for teens to do, Ali noted.

Encouraging the young men to express their appreciation of the young women as human beings, artists, innovators, entrepreneurs and partners on their journey at TRUE Skool was beneficial to all concerned, Ali said. “To take that, turn it into art and give the young men an opportunity to celebrate the young women and celebrate these relationships, seemed like it needed to happen.”

Sarah Dollhausen, TRUE Skool executive director, watching with breakdancer Sheldan Wilbon, is moved to tears by the performance. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)

Sarah Dollhausen, TRUE Skool executive director, watching with breakdancer Sheldan Wilbon, is moved to tears by the performance. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)

Hearing about experiences from the young women’s perspective was enlightening, Mullen said. “One of the male students partnered with a girl who told him about being catcalled in her neighborhood and being sexualized by men in general. It made him understand the seriousness of it, how damaging those kinds of things can be and the effect it can have on a young woman mentally.”

Domonique Whitehurst, who was partnered with two young women, said the project “put me in their shoes and I tried my best to interpret their lives in my style of writing.” He was surprised to learn that Tracy Rolkosky had grown up in an impoverished neighborhood with a drug-addicted brother, and was inspired by her strength in overcoming many obstacles.

“Tracy kept moving forward with her life, not letting (her challenging situation) burden her and stop her from continuing on in her education and working,” Whitehurst said.

Founded in 2005, the mission of TRUE Skool, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave., is to use urban arts to engage youth in social justice, community service and civic life.

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Filed Under: Arts and Recreation, Carousel, Home, Neighborhoods, News

About Andrea Waxman

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Recent News

UPDATE: Housing leaders say rental assistance funds are still available for Milwaukee County residents

5 things to know and do the weekend of Jan. 27

These students don’t have to miss school to see the doctor. They can just go down the hall.

Advertisement
Give today to support our mission. Donate to Milwaukee NNS.
Advertisement

News

  • Arts and Recreation
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing
  • Public Safety
  • NNS Spotlight
  • Special Reports

Engage with us

  • Posts from Community
  • Community Voices
  • Submit a Story

About NNS

  • Milwaukee NNS Staff
  • Partners
  • News414
  • The neighborhoods we cover
  • Careers
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feed

Communities

Contact

mailing address
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnston Hall 430
Milwaukee, WI 53233

email
info@milwaukeenns.org

phone & fax
PHONE: 414.604.6397 FAX: 414.288.6494


Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is a project of Diederich College of Communication and Marquette University.
© 2020 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Terms of use.
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee WI 53233 • info@milwaukeenns.org

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in