(VIDEO) Step Up Kids Find Responsibility in a Paint Brush

Twenty minutes before training was scheduled to start, nearly all of the teens assigned to work for Mentoring Peace Through Art had arrived. It was the morning of the first day of training, and the project was about to begin.

This summer, fifteen kids were given their first job through Step Up, a program run by the city of Minneapolis meant to help youth of specific income levels find work. On June 18, all gathered at the University of Minnesota's Urban Research and Outreach/Engagement Center for the start of their training.

"One of the things you have to learn is that I'm not a teacher," artist and founder of Mentoring Peace Through Art Jimmy Longoria told the interns that sat before him, many of whom looked on with a mixture of attentiveness and quiet fear. "I'm not here to teach you anything," he said, "I'm a boss."

With this message in mind, the kids were almost instantly put to work, some assigned to equipment set up and others assigned to painting. "There is no such a sentence as it's not my job," chief artist Kate Hondlik told the crew as they worked. "If we say it, it is your job."

And they all caught on quickly. Shyness turned to determination, nervousness to leadership. Kids were reminding each other to wear safety goggles and to not drip paint. Creativity became effective; art became work.

"It's easier to become a doctor than to become an artist," Longoria reminded everyone. "Don't let me stop you." On this Monday morning, there was no stopping anyone.

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