When Justice and Peace Kiss is Coming....

If somehow I missed you on my list, here is what I will be up to this summer. Here is my letter just not in a pretty format.

Ya Ya's Story

As we were getting ready for our performance that day, I saw one of our high school students named Ya Ya sitting off to the side looking miserable. As I asked her what was the matter, she told me that she did not want to sing the song that she had been writing and practicing for the past 4 weeks. Although we all tried to encourage her, we didn’t know if she was going to perform that night. When the time came, she found the courage to sing a beautiful song she had written about what freedom meant to her. After the performance I asked her what she thought of the experience. “That was amazing! I want to do it again,” she beamed with excitement. These are the moments that I live for, moments of transforming fear into freedom. I moved to South Central Los Angeles 8 months ago to pursue what I believe to be God’s call in my life of empowering students like Ya Ya to develop their creative potential.

My Journey this Summer

Ya Ya’s story happened during a summer program two years ago called, When Justice and Peace Kiss. This high school performing arts program is put on annually by a theater company called Streetlamp Studio. This nonprofit was started by Christian artists seeking to inspire creative engagement with the community here in LA. This summer I will be leading “When Justice and Peace Kiss” with 3 other adult artists. The theme for this summer is, “Nothing Holding Back our Dreams.” The students learn about Moses: the promises, struggles, and perseverance to reaching his dream of the promised land. We will lead youth in creative activities in which they can share their hopes and dreams for the future. The adult artists will refine their stories into songs and performance pieces. The youth will practice and perform these original works at the end of the summer program.

Because Streetlamp Studios is a small nonprofit, all of their staff fundraise to be able create art and inspire high school students. This summer I will be working for them part time and hoping to raise $2000 to cover the costs of the program and supplement a partial income for myself. I am looking for people who want to partner in the work that God is doing through empowering these urban youth. If you feel like this a cause that would like to give to, we would really appreciate your support.

If you would like support me and When Justice and Peace Kiss, you can make a donation online at http://www.streetlampstudio.com/get-involved/donate/. Under the drop down menu please select Fundraiser for Megan Ibarra. Please note that Paypal will deduct a percentage using this method.

You can also make a check out to Streetlamp Studio. Please contact me for the address if you do not have already.

Please visit Streetlamp Studios website to learn more about ways that they impact the community.

http://www.streetlampstudio.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z716890Nn70