The Passion Project
By Laura Fritz (published in the custody center newsletter)
Forgiveness and acceptance are two concepts with which many people grapple throughout their lives. Therefore, when the young women at Burnaby Youth Custody Services decided to gift these acts to the community for Christmas, it was not surprising that the emotional response was immense.
Their Christmas present came to fruition when several of the girls completed a program entitled, “Phenomenal Women: The Elements of Success”. This program had been designed by Loretta Cella, founder of the Passion Program, and presented by her with the assistance of Laura Fritz, the Center’s Social Worker. After ten weeks of self-examination, the young women were given the opportunity to look outwards, to see what they could do for their community. While brainstorming on the basketball court, the themes of forgiveness and acceptance were generated and the young women decided that these acts could be embodied in several sculptures. The Asperity Unit decided to create “The Lady of Forgiveness”, envisioning a vibrant 6’7” tall woman who would protectively hold a heart in her arms. “The Beautifully Honoured Women of Originality”, which were envisioned by the Emerald Unit were to be of varying shapes and sizes, united and defined by their refusal to adhere to beauty, body and ethnic stereotypes. The girls all agreed that they wanted to build “The Women” from recyclable materials and then would add pictures, poems and thoughts about what they wanted to forgive and accept about themselves and others. With final words of encouragement from Loretta the implementation of the plan was then turned over to the young women and Laura.
As there was just over a month until Christmas, the pressure was on. Not only were the girls’ emotions challenged as they had to think about their personal lives, they also had to figure out how to piece together a pile of recyclable material, honour their commitment to the community, manage their time, work together and respect each other’s varying abilities to contribute to the project.
Although the project was meant to be a gift to the community, it started to have a ripple affect even before the first pieces of newspaper were shredded and dipped into warm gooey flour water. Staff members at BYCS contributed recyclables, the Passion Foundation received donations for start up materials and once things got going, staff members lent a hand with gluing, stapling, taping and painting. A genuine interest and excitement on the staff’s part was evident as was their support in encouraging the girls to complete the project, in mediating issues that arose and complementing the young women as the sculptures took shape, in keeping the girls on track and also in showing them that they and their project were of worth and value. Being believed in is also a tremendous gift.
Prior to leaving the Center, the sculptures were displayed during the Christmas Open House so the rest of the youths and their families could see the girls’ gift. The sculptures were then taken to UBC Robson Square and given to the community as a public display over the Christmas holiday. An explanation of the project as well as a drop box was left with “The Women” so that the public could add to them.
In her article for the Vancouver Observer, Loretta Cella described the impact of the young women’s sculptures: “Some people left drawings and notes for the girls to read, and others left poetry and stories. It’s hard to say how many viewed the art pieces, but there were over 50 notes left on site. They were written by girls, women and men from as far away as New York, Montreal and Kamloops. Many were also left by Vancouverites”.
These contributions were then added to the sculptures. Loretta continued that, “Each time, I was left speechless. The words and drawings were moving. One contributor expressed, ‘I spent years cutting myself. I have 400 scars. Should I have them removed by surgery or accept them?’ Others sent messages of encouragement to the young women. ‘Your representation of women is a solid insightful statement of our society. We need to encourage creativity and to give everyone an opportunity to explore their inner ‘selfs.’ I, as a man, am equally inspired,’ wrote Mahood from Kamloops. Another wrote, ‘Thank you for your honesty. Your art is inspiring. Forgiving ourselves is hard work, yes, but we’re worth it…you are SO worth it. May you be free of suffering. May your hearts be full of love and light. With Love’.’’
After the holidays “The Women” returned to the Center and were displayed on a rotational basis in the lobby. Again a drop box has been left so that the connection between the girls, their gift and the community can continue. Shortly after the return of the sculptures, Loretta had an opportunity to share some of the remarks with one of the young women at BYCS. Loretta said that, “She read them, sat in silence for a short while and said, ‘That’s pretty darn cool. All these people got to be a part of this.’ I explained to her how these people’s courage to change had a ripple effect on the community and asked her to imagine for a minute how these lives might have been moved because of it. She smiled in silence.”
Laura Fritz
