This document presents a thesis proposal to address gang violence in Honduras through a creative mentoring program. It notes that Honduras has 100,000 youth ages 8-35 who are gang members. The hypothesis is that by pairing these youth with established artists in Honduras for mentorship in creativity and the artistic process, it could instill a sense of responsibility, long-term planning, and disrupt poverty patterns by tapping into their desire for autonomy, mastery and purpose. The proposal outlines pairing youth with artists in Honduras across various mediums and having the artists pass on gifts of creativity and values of hard work, risk-taking and learning from mistakes. It provides sources on creativity, success, and gangs to support the hypothesis

1. AVANT
GANG
Thesis 1 • Céleo Ramos • Prof. Tom Klinkowstein • Pratt fall ’11

2. every poet and every artist
is an antisocial being
Pablo Picasso

3. two stories

4. stifsiM Misfits

5. stifsiM Misfits
ytilanigirO keeS Seek Originality

6. stifsiM Misfits
ytilanigirO keeS Seek Originality
srevresbO Observers

7. stifsiM Misfits
ytilanigirO keeS Seek Originality
srevresbO Observers
slebeR Rebels

8. stifsiM Misfits
ytilanigirO keeS Seek Originality
srevresbO Observers
slebeR Rebels
srekat ksiR Risk takers

9. stifsiM Misfits
ytilanigirO keeS Seek Originality
srevresbO Observers
slebeR Rebels
srekat ksiR Risk takers
Creators

10. stifsiM Misfits
ytilanigirO keeS Seek Originality
srevresbO Observers
slebeR Rebels
srekat ksiR Risk takers
srelliK Creators

11. marero
(gang member)
(gang member)

12. marero artist
(gang member)
(gang member)

13. 7,000,000
Youth Population
HONDURAS
100,000
Mareros ages 8-35

14. teen
mind

15. malleability
teen
mind

16. malleability
teen time
mind

17. malleability
teen time
mind
allows risk

19. ?
How do we lead
teens to be creators

20. Hypothesis
Through an interaction with creative professionals,
one can instill a sense of responsibility and long-term
planning to potential gang members in Honduras.
This in contrast to existing gang member remediation
programs which focus primarily on overt vocational
needs.
This interaction could help reach the teens’ longing
for autonomy, mastery, and purpose to disrupt
patterns of poverty in their communities.

21. Creativity Diversity Tolerance

22. Who Cares?

23. Who Cares?
Main programs in Honduras
Arte de barrio Arte Acción

24. Xenia Mejia Heleci Ramirez Lester Rodriguez
Visual Artist Photographer Artist / Blogger

25. Wilmer Murillo Adán Vallecillo Alberto Lainez
Illustrator Artist / Sociologist Singer /
Environmental engineer

26. Artists provide a set of
gifts to culture that cannot
be kept, but must be
passed on.
Lewis Hyde

27. Project Ideas
AVANT GANG Project
A mentoring program that will pair well established artists and teens, aimed to
foster empathic capacity and creativity in teenagers by getting them involved
with the artists creative process. Exposure of their work can help create atten-
tion and ultimately impact in a greater scale for their communities.
The program can transmit values like:
• Hard work
• Risk taking
• Learning from mistakes
• Learning by doing
• Doing things with purpose

28. Sources
The Element
Robinson, Ken.
OUTLIERS,The story of success.
Gladwell, Malcolm.
DRIVE
Pink, Daniel.
A Whole New Mind.
Pink, Daniel.
Maras and gangs, Policie and community in Central America
Araya. Soley. González.
Interviews & Surveys

29. TO BE CONTINUED