“All I want to do is work with kids,” said Desirae
on a recent Saturday afternoon. “Kids see things that
we don’t see.” And she should know. Currently
a mental health worker and In-Sight instructor, Desirae began
her relationship with In-Sight at age 16 while living in the
Brattleboro Retreat’s residential facility. For over
eight years In-Sight has run a class designed specifically
to work with adolescent residents at the Retreat. During what
was admittedly a difficult and emotional time in her life,
becoming an In-Sight student offered Desirae a way to express
her self. For her, photography was a way to express her emotions.
“Art,” she said, “relaxes me.”
After leaving the Retreat,
Desirae went on to finish her high school education in Brattleboro.
She stayed connected with In-Sight, taking an Incentive class
and earning her own camera. While in college she returned
to In-Sight as a staff member, teaching photography to patients
on the same residential units that she once inhabited. Earlier
this year she graduated from college with a degree in bio-chemistry.
Desirae’s is a story full of hard truths that she tries
to pass on to her students. “Even though you are struggling,”
she says, you can get to a good place. Look at me, I was a
patient at the Retreat, I took this class and now I’m
going to college.”
Desirae remains a vocal In-Sight supporter, sharing her experiences
with others and working to continue funding for programs at
the Retreat. When asked what makes In-Sight different she
talks about the volunteer teachers who really enjoy what they
are doing, as well as In-Sight’s commitment to being
open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay. She points
out the support that In-Sight receives from area photographers
for fundraising events such as the annual silent auction:
“These are people who donate their work so we can raise
money to teach kids who can’t afford it. These are people
who make art and make art possible.”
Desirae’s plans for the future include a graduate degree
in nursing work and work with children inflicted by HIV/AIDS.
She will also teach this year’s In-Sight Retreat class.
Photography, she insists, will remain a source of creative
release that she will carry with her wherever she may go.
In-Sight would like to thank the Brattleboro Boys and
Girls Club for their support of In-Sight’s programs
with the Brattleboro Retreat. Funding granted by the club
has made it possible to continue the collaboration over the
last few years.
|
