When the staff of
Gateway Community Services saw that Global Youth Service Day approaching, they knew it would be a perfect fit for a project they’d wanted to do for some time.
“A coworker of mine had this vision of building life-sized shadow people,” says Ashleigh MacLachlan, Street Outreach Coordinator for Gateway.
That vision of artist and Violence Intervention and Prevention coordinator for Gateway Jen Loforese was that these shadow people - 35 of them to be precise - would become a mobile exhibit representing the 35 teen suicides in the US last year that were attributed to bullying to bring awareness to the issue.
It was a powerful idea, and a big job. Though volunteer teens painted the silhouettes on Global Youth Service Day, getting them ready took some serious preparation.
“It’s been quite a huge undertaking,” says MacLachlan. “
Lunch with a Purpose is helping in a really big way.” The lunchtime volunteer group helped to trace the silhouettes on plywood and cut them out in advance of Saturday
Also assisting with the project preparation and financing were One Love Global, TJ Duckett, the Michigan Resource Center for Safe Schools, Peckham and Menards. MacLachlan estimates these partners donated a total of $1,200 to the cause, in addition to their many volunteer hours.
The big event, however, was on Saturday. Dozens of teens gathered to paint the silhouettes and kickoff the “bullycide” awareness campaign. The program included teen performers including musicians and spoken word artists.
Source: Ashleigh MacLachlan, Gateway Community Services
Writer: Natalie Burg, News Editor
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