ED+Detour+-+PortraitsFromAHard+Road

=__Detour - Portraits from a Hard Road__=

===Detour is an exhibition in Melbourne that tries to depict the lives of six troubled youths that have ended up in the hands of Front Yard Youth Services and The Melbourne City Mission. This was presented in several artworks and a brief description by six dedicated artists and the youths. In some ways I'm glad its brief due to the depressing nature of their back stories. Its not all bad as they explain how detour's interviews and program brought them confidence.The programs was run over three years and started with about ten but due to problems down the track, the number was narrowed to six. The youths were interviewed by the artists to give them a sense of how to paint the youths lives and speak to them all in separate interviews. The best way to describe the confidence that was given to these youths was best said by Steven from the program, "With every stroke I became alive again". All of these youths stories are quite sad, especially because most of these events they explain happened when they were about our age. ===

===David is one of the youths from the program and he was bullied all of his life. He grew to hate school and became incredibly stressed, this led to violent outbursts at home and complete depression. He explained his schooling as "it seemed to be looking from a distance, there but not there...invisibility". He started to feel as if his unhappiness was putting pressure on his family and he moved out. He spent time on the street and met people that "didn't have his best interest at heart". He found the Melbourne City Mission and his condition improved improved. He later signed up for the Detour program where he became much more confident and comfortable. He loved the fact that someone was taking an interest in him, treating him like he was normal. David is now studying his second and third certificate in business.He is in stable accommodation with Jewish care, he also has an apprenticeship and his first real job. ===

===The only thing that Eric had said to say was "Being treated with dignity and respect despite not feeling like you deserve it made a world of difference".This is probably one of the best things I have heard throughout the entire project. ===

===Cristel is twenty years old and a single mother who has come through Front Yard and The Melbourne City Mission .She speaks about how she has been ignored for most of her life and about how she is a case of judging a book by its cover and this is why she has not been helped. Most of her work is modified versions of the sentence "sometimes positive is actually quit negative". She changes this sentence to involve different parts of her life such as her teenage life. An example is "Sometimes something valuable is actually worthless". She finishes with the final quote of "Try changing that something into someone and see more into the picture lying beneath". ===

===Russell compares homelessessness to being forgotten. You are ignored on the street,everyone walks past without a glance, no one knows who you are or anything about you. After being forgotten for so long he started to lose parts of himself. The art is remembered,the art gives him power. The art can show the light and the dark, he has been through the dark and can now see the light. He wanted a fresh start and he got one from The Melbourne City Mission and Front Yard.The paintings make him more confident ,the stories are told through the paintings. "With every stroke I become alive again .....I explode off the canvases and back into life". Out of all of the people in the program Russell has shown the most emotion throughout every session/day/month. He has been extremely happy with artist's integrity, honesty and compassion. He is now seen again and will never be forgotten. ===

===Melissa has been shuffled around the system for 18 years and the problem is not that she doesn't have a place to live its that she has no place to call home. She is an orphan who has moved around countless times as a child which lead to her not trusting anyone and not getting emotionality involved. One of her most distinct experiences was coming home from school at the age of seven and seeing her bags packed. She was being shuffled to yet another home. She loved the Detour program and the fact that if you really work for something hard enough, even if its just trying to get a message out, it all ends up worth it in the end. The fact that someone can understand her in a deep and complex way is magical to her. Melissa is now leaving in a apartment and helping to work with children care in the future. ===

===Steven has had a hard life and has had negative thoughts for most of his life. Detour has made him see life as an achievement. From the devastation of him leaving home to the hard time coming back. The Knowledge, his concept that he is important gives him confidence. He has made a strong relationship with all of the artists, they have understood him as well that they could and truthfully put him and his problems on a canvas. In his darkest times he could only dream of speaking about his life to someone intelligent.They have said that he most likely suffered from serious depression.The time he has spent making himself feel more important has been worthwhile and extremely important. ===

===This is only six of the countless youths that have gone through The Melbourne City Mission and I am glad that program like Detour this can give so much confidence to these unlucky youths. ===

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