Who are you and how did you become involved in PVV?
My name is Megan Alrutz and I got involved with PVV during the first
pilot project Stephani did with our 511 class. Since then, I have worked
at GRIC for two years on PVV.
What is your current involvment in PVV?
I currently serve as a resident teaching artist at Ira H. Hayes Memorial
Applied Learning Center at GRIC.
What is the most rewarding part of being involved in
the PVV project?
The most rewarding part of being involved in PVV is developing relationships
with the young people. It is wonderful to watch them become more and
more comfortable articulating who they are and what they want in life.
I feel privilged to be a part of their lives as they explore personal
issues of identity, heritage, family...everything they are grappling
with in such a complex world.
What do you hope participants in PVV will gain from their experience?
I hope students gain confidence in articulating who they are and what
they want in life. I also hope they gain a sense of community that helps
them feel supported in who they are and in articulating what they think,
feel, believe, and want.
What is the role of a teaching artist in PVV?
To provide students with the tools and space to articulate what it means
to be them in their time and their place/space.
How do you as a teaching artist help young people find their voices
through PVV?
The biggest way that this happens at GRIC is by letting students know
that what they say and think matters. By spending time listening and
helping students express themselves artistically, we place their voice
at the center of the work. This time and energy seems to help realize
that they not only have something to say, but that what they say matters
to other people. Another way this happens is in the completion of the
final edited version of students' work--seeing their own voice/face/thoughts
on the screen seems to encourage students' own excitement about putting
their voice "out there." Very cool stuff on many levels.
