Day Two of Training Brings New Skills to the STEP-UP Interns

The next morning, many participants arrived at the same time much of the staff did, half an hour early. Whether it was because they wanted to please Jimmy or they could only catch the bus at a certain time, it was clear that much of the apprehension that was present merely a day ago had vanished. Friendships had begun to form between backgrounds, and the conversation flowed freely.

However, today would be different. The interns would be working longer, and painting would only be a piece of the puzzle. The biggest challenge would be to teach the kids how to cook.  Interns were sent to the kitchen in shifts, and were assigned the daunting task of preparing lunch for everyone in the program.

As fragrance from the various spices wafted through the halls of UROC, the real cooperation was taking place in the heart of the kitchen. Aided by two volunteers as well as Jimmy himself, small groups of interns washed, diced, and cut mounds of vegetables and chicken.

A mere few hours later, the task was completed. The interns demonstrated their self-sufficiency by working together to set the table, dish up the food, and serve it. The interns and the rest of the Mentoring Peace Through Art team enjoyed the flavorful meal together.

Just like the before, we completed the day by painting. As most of the interns finished up the canvas towers, a few stayed back to clean the kitchen and prepare a snack of trail mix to energize the crew.

It wasn’t all easy though. The heat was blistering, and that meant that frequent breaks and hydration was a must. In addition to the heat, the wind proved that working outside was a difficult task. A huge gust of wind knocked over one of the canvas towers, but the STEP-UP interns responded with ease and immediately recovered from the mess of spilled paint, broken canvas, and flipped ladders.

Although a lot was accomplished, the level of stress within the staff has definitely increased. In addition to the planned mural, a contract was just signed for another wall, which should theoretically be painted at the same time as the planned mural. Painting begins tomorrow, and it will certainly be an interesting journey. As team member Gabe accurately said, “It’s fun being an artist, isn’t it?”

Check out our Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mentoringpeacethroughart/