Future: A thriving youth center has taken form in this refurbished Victorian house. Young visitors access mental-health, spiritual, and vocational guidance, as well as mediation support interwoven with the community. Ceanothus blooms in front of the house attracting monarch butterflies. The roof is thatched in tule as a green building practice and to honor local Indigenous knowledge.
A grandmother is there harvesting oranges with her grandson preparing to make a group dinner. Nearby, a boy monitors solar panels as a part of an engineering project. In the foreground, a grinding stone sits beside a milpa of corn, beans, and squash just beginning to sprout.
Dreamed in collaboration with Edgar Ibarra, of MILPA Collective and is inspired by MILPA’s intention to create a Less Restrictive Program (LRP) for incarcerated youth in Santa Cruz County.