Amid the mountains and jungles of Guatemala, an innocent conversation between 2006 ArtCorps artist Brooke Toczylowski and a young schoolgirl named Xochil leads to the creation of a 60-foot mural along the outside wall of Xochil's school. Brooke has spent the past year working with the youth organization Jóvenes en la Misión (la JEM), which strives to develop youth leadership-particularly in environmental conservation. When Xochil asks Brooke to paint the name of her school, Brooke sees an opportunity to advance cultural awareness, community participation and the environmental messages of la JEM.

Armed with eight poems by Humberto Ak'abal, an indigenous Quiché poet, two traditional prayers about the corn cycle from the Mam people, another group descended from the Mayan civilization, and the legend of Guatemala's national bird, the quetzal, Brooke guided a group of 5^th and 6^th graders in a three-hour drawing workshop inspired by the discovery of regional environmental traditions. The students created beautifully detailed drawings to be used in the design of the mural. Brooke shares, "For three full days we prepped by painting the lines, and then for two days the kids filled in the colors, running back and forth to my plastic nylon sheet covered in paint cans and begging for another assignment... each day was a blessing... the kids were wide-eyed when they saw their own drawings painted life-size on the wall, empowering them... improving their creative capacities."

When the mural was completed, a community event was held in which the president of la JEM, Ever Valásquez, spoke to the group about the organization and their efforts in environmental conservation. The kids read the poems, prayer and legend that were used to inspire their drawings, and a discussion was held about the themes and meanings in each part of the painting. Brooke writes, "It was a great experience that facilitated community participation and involvement, cultural and artistic awareness, and of course, promoted the imaginative ideals and environmental messages of la JEM."

Colorful images of corn, tortillas, landscapes and birds now cover the walls of the school, acting as a reminder of the importance of nature and conservancy in Guatemalan history and daily life. ArtCorps makes this connection between culture and its partner NGO's messages in order to spark community participation and involvement across generations as well as a cultural and artistic awareness that will continue even after the project has ended.

*To read more about Brooke's work in Guatemala, please visit her blog at http://www.brooketocz.blogspot.com, or for  more information on la JEM, you may visit their blog in Spanish at http://unidosporelagua.blogspot.com.