Teens’ art exhibit focuses on opioid awareness

Teens who live in Culmore are constantly exposed to drug use on the streets and in school, and many have relatives or friends who overdosed on opioids.

An exercise at the Teen Center in Culmore helped put young people’s feelings about the impact of opioids on their community into artworks.

An exhibit featuring their paintings is on display at the Woodrow Wilson Library through June 14.

The artists are members of the Youth Council, a program launched by Second Story as part of the Opportunity Neighborhood – Crossroads Area initiative.

Youth Council members did research on the opioid epidemic, wrote about their findings and what they wanted their message to be, and created paintings showing the damage inflicted by drug abuse.

Everth Sanchez, a ninth-grader at Justice High School, said his paintings were inspired by seeing kids in school on drugs – “they look tired and sad.” One painting shows a teen with a failing report card who is thinking of taking more drugs.

Eneas Gonzalez Romero, a 10-grader, said his painting of an overdose victim lying on the floor vomiting is inspired by a real-life overdose in his cousin’s living room.  

Eighth-grader Jessica Morales-Reyes painted a happy scene of “how Culmore would look without drugs.”

“We don’t want to live like this anymore,” Jessica said “We want a happy community.”

Related story: Second Story provides much-needed assistance to Bailey’s Crossroads residents