Summer 2020: Stretching Our Story Across South Dallas Streets

COLOR, VIBRANCE, DEPTH. 

That’s summer 2020 for Youth World. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, brown, white. Early May, we kicked open a roll of crisp, white paper. Blank, it begged for a story as it stretched across south Dallas streets. This is what we wrote: 

RED

flushed cheeks during a game of tag in the eleven o’clock sun. little fingers busy picking the perfect hot cheeto from a crumpled bag. the bright dodgeball pelted in a flurry of joy and brotherhood. 

ORANGE

the flashy cones that sprinkle the field for an obstacle course that brings everyone together. 

YELLOW

the weathered and worn walls that see every crooked smile, hear every belly laugh, enjoy every summer camp chant battle, and feel every sweaty hand hold that promises guidance and a moment of vulnerability. 

GREEN

there’s a mural of a bright tree, shades of green, that greets every person that swings open Youth World’s front doors. that tree sways and sings in flowy script the reason to keep chasing and cheering...Youth World believes “Every child has a God-given place in this world,” and that will always be the “why” and the reason. 

BLUE

blue can sometimes be the hearts that are too little and too new to be broken, but they are anyway. blue is the blindingly bright sky we create art projects and sidewalk chalk murals under. blue are the four gym walls ready for impact from seven-year-old boys packed with endless energy.

PURPLE

watercolor paint splattered on crumpled paper, made unique by hundreds of baby picassos. 

BLACK, BROWN, WHITE

the sea of smiling faces we love so much.

This is summer 2020 at Youth World. 

Grab a brush.