I sat before a singular young lady. In fact I'd heard so many facilitators speak wonders about Hibaq, her presence made me nervous. We met at a coffee shop near her home in East Denver and quickly covered the basics. Hibaq is a 17 year old who not only exudes confidence but a strong sense of self. She informed me she attends Compassion Road Academy, an alternative school. Hibaq didn't flinch when she told me she'd been kicked out of her former High School in 2014. Later, I would understand Art from Ashes taught her no flinching is necessary.

Hibaq became involved with Art from Ashes (AfA) in April 2015 after enrolling for the Phoenix Rising workshops at Compassion Road. "The Spoken Word workshop just seemed cool!" she said. Hibaq related she grew quite enamored with the program and the facilitators. Ashley was the lead facilitator for the workshop, and Franklin was there when Ashley wasn't. Hibaq continued about how she loved everyone at Art from Ashes: Johnny, Morgan, Catherine, and so many other names I couldn't keep up.  She stated Franklin has turned her on to Yoga. He encourages her to kick off her shoes and do spontaneous yoga stretches at the mention of a rough day. Hibaq stated Angela, another AfA facilitator, is currently coaching her on memorizing her poems. These are the people who helped her see what she was capable of accomplishing-who helped her see her full potential. Hibaq added she also has made a lot of friends her own age through AfA.

Hibaq unwaveringly continued telling me about her story. She said she has been in and out of treatment facilities...

From baseball games to flamboyant fundraisers to merry madness, you simply must attend at least one. Because we're fun. Really. If you're going to give, have fun doing it! Plus, you always get to hear the youth perform their hearts out. What more could you ask?

I participated in one of the six-week adult workshops at Art from Ashes starting in September. Catherine O'Neill Thorn, the Executive Director herself, facilitates all the adult workshops, which also serve to provide training for facilitators. It was clear that Catherine has done this for a long time; yet while monotony tends to infect any long-term activity, Catherine showed no signs of "going through the motions." She was absolutely present with us and was visibly appreciative and affected by the things we wrote. Her novelty fueled the general atmosphere of the room and strengthened the overall purpose-every word we wrote was new to us, every laugh and cry a fresh step towards transformation.

When anybody sits down at a table full of strangers, it's next to impossible to stop yourself from judging each one according to appearance and the first few words they speak, which was true for me at the beginning of the workshop. However, after weeks of following the brilliantly structured curriculum, I found myself looking at these strangers with reverence. Now I hold their personality traits, charms, and even their flaws in such statuesque appreciation. Each of them are champions of who they are, playing the role of "person" in such a professional manner so as to elicit awe.

Now, as I go through daily mundane tasks, I sometimes catch myself seeing a random passerby as more than just "walking furniture." I will think to myself, I wonder what this person would write about in a workshop.