City Spotlights Staff Blog | Week 5 | Jasmine Garcia

Jasmine Garcia, Outreach Programs Manager

As the Outreach Programs Manager, I could not be more proud of our City Spotlights Teen Leaders this summer! During week 5 of the program, it was nearing the end of workshop tour and while the teens were amazingly executed workshop performances, they were definitely feeling tired from all of the traveling all around the city. But through all their hard work, I saw teens come out of their shells, become closer to people they had not spoken to before and realize how important it was to share their message to their community. 

Rather quickly, tour was over and final showcase prep was well underway. I saw students dive into their pieces of work, helping each other practice and overall supporting all the work they had put together. It always amazes me to see teens who had never met just six weeks ago, create strong connections and community. Even in times of creative conflict, every teen has shown growth in working together towards one goal; modeling what the world could look like if social issues of hatred are faced head on.