Breaking Down Barriers

NYLC's offices received a facelift thanks to participants in the weeklong National Youth Leadership Training. The group of 10 young people, ages 15 to 24, visited NYLC's headquarters on July 15, 2004, and created "Breaking Down Barriers," a permanent mural on one of the office walls. The service project was one of eight Pursuit of Excellence projects - experiential, hands on, intensive applications of concepts learned at NYLT, implemented by youth leaders.

The group left NYLT's site, the Audubon Center of the North Woods in Sandstone, Minn., to spend the day in the Twin Cities with NYLC COO Bob Olsen. The first stop was Intermedia Arts, an organization committed to using the arts to build understanding among people. The group viewed the graffiti murals covering Intermedia Arts' home, and a staff person explained that the building was the only place in the Twin Cities for graffiti artists to legally ply their art. From there, they headed to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, the area's best-known public art space.

When the group finally arrived at NYLC's office, they were given their charge: "I said, 'At NYLT you have started to create your community,'" Olsen says. "'NYLC wants to have an artistic expression of what that community is and what it means to you.'"

The group chose the wall they wanted to paint and began individually sketching out ideas. "There was a point in the process," Olsen says, "where they shifted from working individually to figuring out how they were going to combine those ideas. It was thrilling to see how they did that, because they were working without any outside instructions."

Among the mural's most striking features is the inclusion of symbols representing many of the world's religions and cultures. "They were very careful about that," Olsen says. "In many cases, none of the artists were from cultures and religions represented. They were very careful to make sure all those groups were included because that's how they see their community."

The mural's inclusive theme and the group's spirit was summed up in the words at the bottom: "Breaking Down Barriers of Culture."

Held annually, the weeklong National Youth Leadership Training gathers young leaders from across the country, engaging them in a wide range of physical and intellectual activities, from rock climbing and canoeing, to stimulating seminars, small-group interactions, and service projects. Young people are challenged to push their limits; use leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills; build cross-cultural bonds; and prepare themselves for active, contributing roles in their communities.