Opening Teens Eyes to the Possibilities of Art and Writing
By Mary Lance

The current AWC Arts/Writing Project began four years ago as a literacy effort to give dictionaries to elementary students. It became an essay-writing/coaching project when I was asked by Sam Houston High School 10th grade English teacher Mimi Hudspeth to help her students prepare for the TAKS test. I worked with “Sam” students for two years. This year came with a new direction through a suggestion by my co-Vice President, Annette Rodriguez.

During the Christmas holidays, I led a combination arts and writing two-day workshop for teen moms at Project Mothers and Schools at Girls, Inc., and I’m happy to say that another workshop will be conducted during Spring Break.
I will admit that I went to the first workshop for teen moms with mixed expectations. How would the moms react? Would they reject/embrace the two-day creative time?

Whoa, did I learn – about the devotion of these teen moms to their children, ages three months to two years – about their determination to be the best moms they could be – and about their ambition to go to college or post graduate trade schools – and their zeal, enthusiasm and joy to participate in a just-for-fun arts and writing project.

And the results from the mouths of these young mothers, who are all enrolled in Project Mothers and Schools (MAS)-South parenting support program?
“I never knew I was an artist,” one said.

“I learned that art is anything that is around us,” said another.
“That you can make anything that is beautiful. It doesn’t matter if you can’t draw or write,” said yet one more, “you learn how to incorporate both.”
We spread out on worktables in a carpeted gym – red, purple and orange colors flowed. And we sat in cushy chairs in a small group meeting room, eating popcorn snacks and laughing at each other’s essays about pretending to be an orange, a grape or strawberry. The six young mothers soaked in the experience and showed me, what strong, capable, loving, talented young women they have become.
Their babies nestled happily downstairs at Girls, Inc. nursery, the young women (all seniors in San Antonio Independent, South San and Southwest school districts) chose to take two days out of their Christmas break to make art, write creatively and relish in the only rule of the workshop – no grades, and they loved it.

Project MAS-South is sponsored by Girls, Inc. and funded by the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. Family support staff shepherd teen moms and dads (the program includes a dads’ component) toward staying in school, graduating and avoiding a second pregnancy. The family support worker helps the teens with school work during their six-week maternity leave, and then leads twice weekly self-esteem building groups at the Girls, Inc. site on South St. Mary’s.
The two-year-old program served 41 girls in its first year. There were no dropouts – that’s compared to a 40 percent dropout rate nationally among teen moms.
Our workshop is icing on the cake with the program’s supervisor receiving positive responses from the girls.

“They sensed they were special at the workshop,” says Mary Jane Padron, program supervisor for MAS. “They’ve never had a chance to open up and express themselves through art and writing.”
And the payoff of the workshop continues. Padron recently incorporated collage making and journaling in her nurturing classes for the moms.
“One girl told me, ‘hey I am now able to write about my feelings,’ Padron added.
With that, I’m ready for more. Thank you AWC for supporting this project. We will repeat the session during spring break. Want to join us? Call or e-mail Mary Lance at 533.1574 or mlance1@satx.rr.com. Annette Rodriguez, president of Girl’s Inc., is AWC co-VP for the arts/writing project.

AWC member Mary Lance conducts an Arts/Writing workshop with teen moms.

Mary poses with two students who proudly display their workshop certificate.