Dragons - Friend or Foe?

East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), Oakland, CA

The Singing Tree Mural of Strength and Happiness -

Ahmir, 13, Painting the Dragon

Dear Friends of Unity Through Creativity,

No matter how traumatized, isolated or jaded our young people seem, just below the surface there is a heroic, big picture thinker waiting to be expressed, wanting to connect. It's true of adults as well. That is the experience of 21 years of making collaborative Singing Tree murals.

The Singing Tree Mural of Strength and Happiness, facilitated by Leslie Rein and Diana Sciaretta in EOBA's after-school program, includes the Singing Tree Project's first dragon.

This quote from @Kdawg0_0 popped up on Instagram yesterday: "I just told my wife I'm sorry we have to raise children in these dystopian times. She replied, 'Never feel sorry for raising dragon slayers in a time when there are actual dragons.' "

The dragons of our time include climate chaos, gun violence, racism, ecosystem degradation and wealth inequality, to name a few. We slay the dragons by creatively envisioning the positive future we want together - then taking action to build the multi-racial and inclusive society we know is possible. We do this in the context of our rare and precious planet hanging in space.

But wait! The youth from EOBA look upon the dragon as their guardian, not something to slay. The winged beast is a protector against violence and despair, showering love upon the children.

Fabian, aged nine, said "When I took the first step on top of the ladder and saw this painting, I didn't realize that kids could have this in their mind... I didn't realize they could have all of this, ALL OF THIS MURAL, in them... This mural could change our lives, because we have joy, we have community, we have a great time in our lives, enjoy your life." The young people created their protective dragon as they designed, built and painted together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRpLcf7KKQI

We thank the Peaceful World Foundation and EOBA for funding this exciting project. With love,

Laurie and the Team at UTC

You are Stronger Than You Think

Study of The EOBA Oak Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness

“You are stronger than you think”

Dear Friends of Unity Through Creativity,

On September 28, two gunmen entered the King Estates School Complex, home to three high schools in Oakland, California, and opened fire. Six people were shot; one of those died In mid- November.

Later that day, after school, the children of the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) gathered to begin work on The Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness, a two-mural project partnering with the Albany (CA) Middle School. The children at EOBA met in a circle, and shared what was on their minds - the shooting and gratitude that they were still alive. Several of the students had siblings at the King Estates Complex and were worried that their family members might have gotten shot. The children talked about struggling to cope with the violence that can be a part of life on any day. Then one girl broke into the worry and concern and said:

“You are stronger than you think.”

The students began work on a Singing Tree Mural, a community arts project that brings people together to create peace and to address the challenges that face our communities.

You are stronger than you think. This is the message we would like to send you today as well, from our hearts and from the hearts of the children of EOBA, as the challenging days of winter are upon us and we approach the holidays with the echo of the violence of the Oakland shooting in our ears.

You are stronger than you think. The Unity Through Creativity Foundation, and its flagship Singing Tree™ Mural Project exist to demonstrate that all of us, individually and together, are stronger than we think. From California to Cumbria to Cyprus, thirteen Singing Trees have been created this year, bringing together diverse people to address common challenges that include reintegrating from Covid, devastating fires, racial prejudice, the crises of forced mass emigration, and war.

It is our privilege to partner with the East Oakland Boxing Association, a 35 year-old non-profit serving a community in the San Francisco Bay area of California surrounded by pollution, industrial buildings and illegal dumping, and with the Albany (CA) Middle School students who go to school in a relatively affluent, culturally diverse, middle-class environment, to create The Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness. By bringing these two groups of students into contact with each other, we expand the listening of everyone to include aspects of humanity they might never meet otherwise.

Both halves of this project create a space for young people—the people who will begin to lead in the next twenty years—to use their voice to express what gives them the strength and cultivate happiness in an unpredictable and violent world.

We are grateful to all of you who have given in support of The Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness as well as the other twelve Singing Trees we have completed during 2022. And we send you joy and happiness as 2022 draws to a close. The coming year holds much promise as well as challenges that are still unknown to us. We can meet them together because we are stronger than we think.

With much love,

Laurie and the team at UTC

The Oak Singing Tree of Strength and Happiness, 8' x 12', Albany Middle School, Albany, California

Our community is growing — and it’s all thanks to you.

Dear Friends of the Singing Tree™ Project,

I need your help so that Unity Through Creativity can keep serving the world with its peacebuilding efforts.

“The greatest thing about making the Singing Tree mural was the deep sense of community that developed as we went along. … I saw kids working together who don’t normally choose to be together, and I saw so much kindness.”

This year has seen a great intensification of our work. We have had 13 Singing Trees in progress, most of them completed and a number still in progress. You can see the full year’s work here.

With your support, our work is making a difference throughout the United States and across the world, in places such as Cyprus, Uganda, Japan, and England.

One of the most important events for us was our first in-person event in El Paso, Texas, where we organized a celebration of the International Day of Peace with our partner, the Interfaith Alliance of the Southwest. Please watch the video below to get a taste of this joyful event.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhXLjvcPR7o

With the El Paso community, we created the Nectarine Singing Tree of Peace. Over 120 people attended the event, marked by addresses by Pastor Mike Grady and Prof. Neema Soratgar and featuring such local artists as Grupo Folklórico Valle del Sol, featured in the video.

I learned that if we could come together to make a mural in a short time, then we could come together to change global warming.

If we can come together to make a Singing Tree mural, we can come together to do anything—this is the lesson people are taking from the Singing Tree Project.

What the world needs right now is people—children, youth, and adults—experiencing that each individual’s voice matters and that what they do can impact their own lives, the lives of their communities, and the entire world. With your help, we will launch into 2023 and extend our work of bringing empowerment to thousands of people around the world and the confidence that they matter and can bring about change and peace. Please—join us in our work and give generously.

With many thanks, Laurie Founder and President

A work in progress with 3rd -12th graders at East Oakland Boxing Association, with Certified Singing Tree™ Facilitator Leslie Rein