When students reach out to the NOMAD team post-release, just to say hello, the first thing we ask is “how are you?”, the next is “do you need art supplies?”. We know our connection with the students doesn’t stop inside the walls of the detention center; they expand into the broader community, often aiding the students into adulthood. We use art to strengthen the protective factors students need to thrive.

Closeup image of an adult helping a detained youth adjust their face mask before spray painting. — Photo by: Todd Bates

We understand that many of the students we see in Justice Studio are students that may be lacking some sort of support while dealing with trauma. We see each child and understand how facilitating creativity through a trauma-informed lens is beneficial to their health. The kids share how our moments together bring them joy, relaxation, and how they often forget they are locked up. These hours of joy are fleeting to the kids forced to be secluded from society.

Every week my fellow teammates and I travel to the Pinellas Reginal Juvenile Detention Center (PRJDC). Here we enter the gates to be greeted by students being detained. We spend several hours with these kiddos, getting to know them, being creative, and a bit silly. For a few hours each day, we get to create a space that seems to forget the troubles of the world for the kids and for the adults. During this time of escapism, students, PRJDC staff and NOMAD teammates all connect with one another, being fully present in the moment.

Join our efforts to connect and build with young folks needing the joyful space of Justice Studio, become a monthly donor here and support this program.

Justice Studio Story