Groundswell partnered with SCO Family of Services and PS 41 to complete three murals for the school to generate one large project. Each section focused on either respect, responsibility, or reason. The keywords brought the overall focus to the initiative of how youth come together in harmony and community as respectful leaders in their community.
 
For the fall project, three wood panels illustrate three “acts of respect.”  The first panel shows two youth participants from the program cleaning up trash as an act of respect for their streets/ neighborhood. The second panel depicts two youth shaking hands as an act of respect towards one another. The final panel shows a youth giving up his seat for a pregnant woman.  All three scenes are surrounded by African fabric patterns that makes up the background.
 
During the process, the students were very mindful of the theme “respect” and tried hard to model respectful behavior. By being conscious of their actions toward the classroom space and their peers, the team saw a positive shift that occurred in their interactions each week.