5 Questions with Creative Visions

We’re thrilled to introduce you to Creative Visions, the new home of Students Rebuild.

To scale our growth, we’re pleased to announce that Creative Visions will be powering Students Rebuild’s work beginning July 1, 2024. Below, Creative Visions’ Director of Program Impact and Evaluation, Sarah Fanslau, shares more about Creative Visions’ work and vision for the program as we look ahead.

Q: Creative Visions uses storytelling to empower creative activism. Can you describe your approach, including why you’re passionate about storytelling as a way to enact positive change?

A: Creative Visions dates back to Dan Eldon. Dan was a Reuters photojournalist in Somalia covering the devastating famine with his images among the first to expose the crisis. In 1993, at the young age of 22, Dan, along with three colleagues, was tragically killed while covering the conflict in Mogadishu. After his death, his mom, Kathy, and sister, Amy, found Dan’s journals, bursting with drawings and collages. The journals told the story of his time as a photojournalist and his passion for helping others. Kathy and Amy wanted his legacy to live on. So, Dan became our first creative activist.

Dan’s life and storytelling were the impetus for the organization’s creation. Now, we work with all different types of storytellers, from documentarians and visual storytellers to photographers and performers. We believe storytelling is the way to change hearts and minds and is at the root of everything we do.

Q: Students Rebuild focuses on helping students become art-ivists, using art to inspire action. How do you see young people interacting with art-ivism today?

A: Young people today are bombarded by social media. They’re online a lot, and some of the traditional ways young people used to make change — maybe going to a local soup kitchen or food pantry or volunteering with seniors — are shifting. Through a range of art forms, creative expression is a unique mechanism to get participation from different types of young people who may not consider themselves changemakers or activists.

Students Rebuild is a beautiful example of what happens when art and activism are combined in a new way. We’re so excited to be able to expand Students Rebuild into new forms of art, working with educators and young people not just in this country but also around the world.

Q: You mention educators. How is partnering with educators a central part of your work?

A: We know that educators are really the scaffolding for reaching young people, and many educators are interested in doing something different with their classrooms so that young people can learn about important issues. In fact, many educators we work with struggle to have impactful conversations with their students about the many challenging issues we are facing here in the US and around the world. As experts in youth service, our team has long been inspired by what young people can do when given the tools, resources, and appropriate support. So, what excites me about Students Rebuild is the addition of art and creative expression to the conversation around social change, which we hope will inspire and empower educators to engage with young people in fresh and fun ways.

Q: What are you most looking forward to as you transition into leading Students Rebuild?

A: There are several things we’re excited about. One is the expansion of accepted forms of art. Part of what Creative Visions does so well is engage youth in using a wide range of art forms, including video, poetry, songs, and more, empowering them to use their unique voices and creativity to spark social change. Second is our global focus. The website is now in Spanish, as well as English, and we’re excited to double down on that and to identify places globally where youth and educators need this work to expand the conversation about human rights on the global stage.

While we may all live in different places across the globe, in some respects, the world is smaller than ever. We are all dealing with the effects of climate change. There are many places in the world where people are fighting for democracy and freedom, and no country on earth is immune to hunger, poverty, or homelessness.

It will be exciting to tell this comprehensive and holistic story about what young people are passionate about and showcase the different ways that youth across the globe are empowered and excited to create change through art.

Q: As students and educators wait for the next challenge to be announced later this summer and kick off in late fall 2024, are there other ways they can be involved with Creative Visions?

A: Absolutely. We have a couple of things that they can do. One is to visit the Creative Changemakers Learning Hub, where there is a resource section and lots of different lessons on storytelling and topics to explore. We also have the Creative Visions Classroom site, which is in partnership with Discovery Education and open to all educators worldwide. You can also check out the Youth Gallery on our #CreateConnectCare site to be inspired by the variety of art forms students use to raise awareness about the issue of mental health and well-being.

The Creative Visions team welcomes your thoughts and ideas! Please reach out to Sarah Fanslau directly at info@studentsrebuild.org with questions or to express interest in a focus group forming this summer to inform the next Challenge topic.

Beginning July 1, 2024, Students Rebuild will be operated by Creative Visions. Learn more in our announcement.