Guazacapán, Guatemala · March 2026
Students created art. Watched it break. Then discovered restoration was still possible.
The Moment Everything Changed
Some laughed. Some did not understand why something beautiful would be covered, melted, cut, or broken. But as the restoration began, the room shifted.
Students began to see that brokenness was not the end of the story.
The I AM ART Journey
Each workshop invited students to experience the Gospel through creativity, reflection, prayer, and restoration.
01
Students began by creating something beautiful and recognizing that they, too, are intentionally made with purpose.
02
Artwork was covered, cut, melted, altered, or disrupted — creating space to name pain and brokenness honestly.
03
Students carefully restored what seemed ruined and discovered that beauty could still remain beneath the broken places.
04
Through prayer, sharing, and encouragement, participants experienced belonging, connection, and the truth that they are loved.
What We Witnessed
creative workshops
documented participants and leaders
local ministry leaders trained
shared phrase: “Trust the process”
Students moved from resistance to reflection.
Tears surfaced during prayer and restoration.
Teenagers named shared wounds and insecurities.
Local leaders were equipped to carry the curriculum forward.
Six Ways the Story Unfolded
Recycled Art
Students created symbolic tree artwork from recycled branches, wax crayons, glass frames, and paint. What began as resistance became reflection, prayer, and joy.
Drawing
Teenagers cut apart drawings they had worked hard to create, then restored them together into collaborative works of beauty.
Printmaking
Young women carved personal stamps, prayed for one another, and used shared symbols to represent connection and support.
Sculpture
Teen boys placed written hurts inside their sculptures, then covered them with affirmations, Scripture, and white plaster.
Leadership Training
Fourteen adult women walked through the I AM ART process themselves before helping facilitate future camps.
Papier-Mâché
Nine young girls created colorful fish sculptures while reflecting on beauty, individuality, and God’s intentional design.
Featured Story
In the Drawing Workshop, one participant, identified as “L” initially resisted interaction. Slowly, through conversations about music, nature, drawing, and language learning, she began opening up.
“I’m going to miss you.”
By the final art show, she courageously shared her reflections with the group — a quiet but powerful picture of connection and restoration.
Partner + Sustainability
Athentikos partnered with Semillas de Cambio in Guazacapán, Santa Rosa, Guatemala. Local leaders and ministry staff were equipped through training, reflection, and firsthand experience of the I AM ART curriculum.
Your support helps create spaces where young people can discover identity, healing, connection, and hope.
