Tuesday night I had the pleasure of attending an event at the Arts Educators Institute. Hosted by AFCY (Arts for Children and Youth) and facilitated by Damian Brown, this workshop trained emerging artists working in education how to properly implement peace circles into their teaching routine. By partaking in a peace circle of our own, Damian Brown demonstrated how this simple group technique can be vital in facilitating adult-to-youth discussions, along with creating a sense of trust, safety, and community.
Even though I don’t currently work as an arts educator myself, the workshop was very informative – with Damian’s extensive knowledge and vibrant personality, it was easy to understand the importance of peace circles and their active role in shaping communities and creating healthy relationships between students and teachers of all ages. He addressed his particular involvement with at-risk youth and demonstrated how this peace circle technique works when dealing with those who aren’t always open to sharing their thoughts or experiences. Everyone in the workshop actively participated in Damian’s demonstration and the outcomes were fascinating. By the end of the night, a sense of familiarity and comfort had washed over all of us and we were open and ready to discuss all the matters at hand.
I was lucky enough to be able to grab an interview with Damian Brown after the event. He has an extensive resume, currently working as the youth-projects coordinator at Peacebuilders International. He has previous experience as a former United Nations Population Fund International Youth Ambassador (more commonly known as UNFPA) and as an International Goodwill Ambassador as well. Needless to say, Damian is a very inspirational man who has done a lot of work for the community and at-risk youth. Currently, he works alongside youth who have been charged for various types of criminal activity, and using restorative justice circles along with other peace-keeping techniques, he tries to understand the underlying reasons for the way they act and provide a sort of therapy that allows them to become fuller members of society. I asked him a couple of questions concerning life, work, and the impact his job has made on those who need it most. Read the interview below!
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Fresh Print- Hi Damian, thank you for taking the time to talk to me! I really enjoyed the workshop and admire the work that you’re doing over here. What inspired you to put this workshop together?
Damian- Well, one of the things I find with people who work with youth is that, a lot the time, they’ll go to school, get an education, and obtain a degree which requires that they work with young people – but they don’t have the sensibilities that are important when working with them. They don’t show vulnerability. And they mean well, it’s just that they don’t realize it. Educating is not just “chalk and talk”, you have to connect with the people you’re working with. I realize that they’re not insensitive people, they just don’t know how to relate. They don’t have the tools to do it. That’s what inspired me to run this workshop a second time.
Fresh Print- So with all the work you’ve done with this, what would you say is the most important part of working with peace circles?
Damian- It depends on what you’re using the peace circle for. I think when you use a restorative justice circle for young people who are in the justice system, which I do on a regular basis, it allows the court to understand what is going on in that person’s life and kind of separate them from the crime they have committed. It also allows the community to take some responsibility for what the person has done – that’s what we do. It’s a very holistic process and everybody becomes a part of the decision making. In that regard, that’s why it’s important- it allows the court to realize that there’s more happening in this young person’s life apart from the crime they committed, and how those factors contribute to them committing those crimes in the first place. It provides the court with a more holistic view of the young person.
There are other kinds of restorative justice circles- some families will use them when they’re trying to make a decision. It’s a consensus-based way of figuring things out and allowing everyone to participate in decision making. It allows people to connect with each other. You saw what happened with this group – they just met each other and already they were sharing things they wouldn’t normally share with strangers. This circle provides that kind of confidentiality and comfort. The questions asked aren’t directed at one person, they’re directed at everyone – so seeing one person be vulnerable allows others to be vulnerable too, without even realizing it.
Fresh Print- You have an impressive amount of experience working with at-risk youth and young people in general. When did you realize that this was something that you wanted to do?
Damian- I realized it years ago, probably when I was 18. I’d started working with the Ministry of Health in Jamaica with young people who were affected and infected with HIV/AIDS. I realized that I couldn’t cure them, but there were other things I could do to ensure that they felt important and needed. That’s when I realized that I might have a career working with young people.
Fresh Print- Wow, that sounds like it must have been a very difficult yet inspirational thing to go through. But throughout your previous work experience, what do you think is the most important thing you’ve learned and how have you come to apply that knowledge in what you do now?
Damian- I think that would be the importance of listening. It’s a powerful thing. I realized that I learn more about people by listening – especially young people. A lot of times, the thing that mostly affects youth-adult relationships is that adults believe that young people have no experience and nothing to share. I realized very early if I was going to be effective working with young people, I had to learn the importance of listening and realize that it wasn’t about me, it was about who I was trying to help.
Fresh Print- The combination of art with social change is such an interesting concept. Why do you think the two elements work so well together?
Damian- What art does is disarm the anxiety that people have. It has such a therapeutic way of getting people to be vulnerable without even realizing it. When you ask a young person to draw what they’re not happy with in their community, and they draw sketches showing older men molesting younger girls – if you’d gone to them and asked them that same question, they would have been very fearful. But if you add art to the mix, the outcome is so different. Art has a way of disarming that fear that you have, that anxiety, that guardedness. We’re so guarded. Once an issue is mixed with art and something that’s practical and you can touch it, you feel more comfortable.
Fresh Print- One last question for you, Damian. Since Fresh Print is focused on the voice of our generation, what’s one thing that you’d like all the young people reading this interview to know?
Damian- Don’t worry about what other people think about you. When you find the person that you’re happy with, don’t be afraid to introduce that to the world. Don’t worry if people say you’re too eccentric or not cool enough…love yourself! Be proud of who you are and people will respect that.
Fresh Print- Thank you so much, Damian! It was a pleasure talking with you.
