Salud Youth Leader Jennifer Idrovo

Jennifer is a 15-year-old SALUD participant with Teatro Americano.  Here she shares some of her personal experiences with the SALUD project as a returnee from 2008, and her hopes for the future of SALUD:Healing Through the Arts.  

"Last year [SALUD 2008] was great. I loved every second of it. I met so many wonderful people and got to perform an amazing play alongside them. It was fun writing compositions as a group and performing them for the rest of the cast. Writing the play itself was amazing. My favorite part was definitely improvisation. Improvisation was so fun because we could all be creative and still make each other laugh.

My least favorite part would have to be suzuki. Suzuki is a form of yoga mixed with martial arts. Suzuki was all new to me last year and I really had a tough time with it. After a few weeks I didn't mind so much, but it wasn't my favorite part, either. Towards the end I understood why we did it. To master focus and be conscious of our breath. Suzuki really did help my performance."

"The interviews we took has had the most impact on me so far. For "Fronteras Del Amor" and "Los Aires De Manana" we took interviews from many different people. Interviews with immigrants, Little Village residents, and immigration lawyers. The stories people gave us were touching. Real life stories on immigrants and how their lives have been constant struggles for them. It made me realize how difficult it is to be an immigrant, and how much they had to give up for a better life.

This year we took a Toxic Tour with the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO).I learned so much from them. We learned about pollution and how Little Village residents live. All the dangerous chemicals that are exposed to them from factories around the neighborhood.  We discussed the difficult truth on environmental issues in the community. Since then I try to help the environment by recycling paper and reusing materials to reduce the amount of waste that exists."

Returning for SALUD 2009

"I returned this year because of all the fun I had last year. It was a blast making a play and I knew a second play would be just as fun. I also returned because I had more to learn. More to learn about actors, stages, and myself. I also came to teach. To give the cast inspiration and to give energy to make another great play like "Fronteras Del Amor." I hope to learn many more things this year that we didn't focus too much on last year. I hope to perform "Los Aires De Manana" the best that I can with the cast. I hope to be a better actress. I feel I offer commitment and creativity to the group. I am devoted to this program, and that devotion gets passed on. I also offer creativity in scenes and in ideas."

The Future of SALUD

"I would like the project to expand. To be able to hire more young people so they can experience the SALUD project too. I would also like this project to discuss other main topics young people face."

Tags: environmental justice, immigrant, SALUD, theater
Topics: Arts, Community Media, Immigrants, New Routes Leaders, Youth