Katie Cunningham Pokorny (front center) and participants in LANOviolencia event.
Using Street Art to Empower at-risk youth in Guatemala by Kerstin Sabene
T
he streets were buzzing with excitement when news hit that John Alexander Serna, a renowned Colombian street artist aka ‘Chota,’ would be part of a team to help kick start an urban renewal initiative in Jocotenango. Our tuk-tuk zigzagged around a steep hill until we reached ‘aldea’ Vista Hermosa, one of four barrios that comprise the community of Jocotenango, a busy suburb of La Antigua, Guatemala. Vegetation in this area is dominated by the jocote tree, which bears a small
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red, plum like fruit common to this part of Central America. Hence the town’s namesake, Jocotenango.
In a country traumatized by poverty, violence and migration, it has become ever more challenging for Guatemalan youth to find good paying jobs or opportunities
