Zae is a past winner of the Student Voices Campaign and is now Video Production Assistant at RYSE Center

In his experience:

Keep the fight going-don’t take no for an answer

Take constructive criticism, take advice, don’t feel discouraged, it’s not a critique of you personally, learn how to grow from it

Challenge yourself to do something new with an art medium, experiment and figure out what you’re trying to say

Make a statement

How did your journey as an artivist start?

I am part of RYSE’s staff pipeline, where you start out as member and once you’ve shown enough leadership and participate in enough workshops you move to intern, to fellow, to contracted staff: part time to fulltime staff. It was kind of a long bumpy ride, before I was a video intern, I was a YO (Youth Organizer). I was on the front lines fighting for what’s right for my community. When I was a YO I started to realize the problems that were inside my community. I noticed that we had police but didn’t recognize police brutality,...

Cindy is a copywriter, author and mother of two who was living in China when the pandemic hit.

Follow their lead: they’ll stay more engaged in learning when it’s framed by something they enjoy

Use the arts to promote a love of learning

Figure out how you can combine school subjects with their arts interests

How has the pandemic impacted your family?

We left China with a few suitcases and have been living in a temporary apartment ever since. We have a 3 ½ year old and our oldest turned 6 a week after stay at home orders. We’re 12 hours behind his school, which makes things challenging and easier in different ways. Once my husband started working from home in March, we were able to share the load. For our family, it’s been important to set up a system so we can trade off work and parenting.

Do you have any tips or tricks for...

Tanya is an LAUSD teacher of over 15 years currrently working with pregnant and parenting teens. She is remotely teaching parents or parents-to-be while also parenting and educating her own kids ages 2 and 4.

In her experience:

Arts can help us process trauma

Let go of the outcome and be present in the moment 

Art can be made from anything

How has the pandemic impacted the way you balance work and family?

I have worked for LAUSD for over 15 years and I currently work with students who are all pregnant or parenting teens. I have two kids 2 and 4 and I’m supposed to be working and self-regulating and sometimes all I want to do is stare at my phone or watch tv.

I think of my students living in small spaces with multiple people, and they’re supposed to be schooling online, which raises questions of accessibility. Imagine trying to read an article with your two-year-old and be engaged in what you’re reading. So, I’ve been creating lessons that engage them in social-emotional play while also contributing toward their credits....

Aarathi is a pediatrician and mom to Nikhil, an 11 year-old in 5^th grade.

In their experience:

Engage in art-making together

Try new materials

Don't micromanage - making a mess is part of the plan 

1. How has the pandemic impacted the way you balance work and family?

Aarathi: I’m a pediatrician, I see mostly outpatient newborns. Although we’re not seeing a lot of pediatric cases, COVID-19 impacts us in the work itself. On the home front, I’m worrying about, am I going to get my son and my husband sick, since I don’t know what I see at work. So, we follow social distancing at home which has been hard. I come home and I change and shower before I do anything else, before that he doesn’t come near me. I don’t hug Nikhil anymore.

Nikhil: I don’t like being cooped up at home.

2. How did you start...