AT the Corporate Area-based Haile Selassie High School — where shrinking enrolment and deferred dreams often cast a shadow — 67 students came together to colour outside the lines of their daily realities.

To mark World Art Day on April 15, the D&G Foundation, in collaboration with The Art of Motivation Incorporate and its founder Shawn Ashman, took the Draw It Out art therapy initiative to the school — offering students a creative outlet to reimagine their futures, one brush stroke at a time.

Haile Selassie High, located in the tough inner-city community referred to as Payne Land, stands as one of the most under-populated secondary institutions in Jamaica, with just 250 enrolled students. But beneath those statistics are young people fighting to rewrite their stories.

The Draw It Out session offered them a moment of introspection with an opportunity to visualise a more expansive, more brilliant life beyond the borders of their environment.

Guided by visual artist and motivational speaker Ashman, the students explored their emotions through metaphor and colour.

They painted sunflowers stretching towards a blue sky, symbolising their potential to bloom regardless of circumstance.

Using the canvas as both confession and declaration, Ashman encouraged the students to reflect deeply on their emotional states by asking, “Are your days sunny, cloudy, or rainy?”

Ashman told the students, “You are painting sunshine,” as they dipped their brushes into bold, bright colours.

Her words echoed the spirit of the session through creative exercise as an invitation to see life differently. “You are making a concerted effort to change how you see the world — and only you have that power to make the change. You are going to take the paintings home, and it will be a reminder of the sunshine,” added Ashman.

As students focused on their canvases Ashamn challenged them to reflect on their choices and emotions.

“The decisions you make today, you will have to live with the consequences. So on rough days, we have to find ways to cope. ‘How am I going to transform my mental state and how can I flip the script from negative to positive?’ ” Ashman urged the students to consider.

“You have the power, and whatever you think you need will come to you. You have far more than you think you have. Let this painting remind you of the possibilities in life,” added Ashman.

The session culminated with a series of self-affirmations authored and spoken by the students themselves.

“I am the head.” “I am a conqueror.” “I am strong.” “I am positive.” “I am rich.” “I am wonderful.” “I am creative.” “I am grateful,” were just some of the declarations from the students.

These affirmations served as quiet acts of resistance, each phrase a brush stroke against the narrative that young people from under-served communities are not allowed to dream expansively.

In addressing the students Dennis Beckford, D&G Foundation accountant, underscored the gravity of the choices they make now.

“You are here to draw and understand your emotions. Understand that your behaviour today will shape your opportunities tomorrow.

“Discipline is not mere obedience; it is about self-respect. When we do these Draw It Out sessions we aim to drive meaningful change in these students — and it is a bold move for all those involved. It is a way for students, especially our young men, to begin the difficult work of knowing themselves, confronting their truths, and understanding that they are worthy of a better story,” said Beckford.

He added that the D&G Foundation is committed to supporting schools like Haile Selassie High by integrating creative interventions into its broader community outreach.

Haile Selassie High School students, joined by the D&G Foundation team, Shawn Ashman, and educators, celebrate a successful Draw it Out session that brought art, affirmation, and aspiration to life.