Burley Graffiti

Graffiti on St Michaels Lane

Does your property have graffiti written on it? How do you feel?

Are you a graffiti writer? Tell us why.

Youth Point at the Cardigan Centre have done some graffiti training with young people. Channelling creative energies or encouraging anarchy? Have your say here (click the 'Edit this page' link on the left)!

This sounds like giving kids gun training in America. It would be better if we taught our children the sanctity and importance of property rights.

"Graffiti training" is really just "art" dressed up in a way that is appealing to young people - nothing really wrong with that I'd say. I don't think its going to encourage anyone who wouldn't already be graffiting to start; and at the very least it might mean the graffiti that was around would be of a higher quality!!
But seriously, although I agree we should be teaching kids to respect their environment, its not going to work unless you get on their level - this training is one way of doing that. An additional benefit is that some kids might even discover that they have a real talent for art, which they can then channel through more legitimate means. A lot of kids are disillusioned with traditional education and basically drop out of the system, which can be a real shame if they actually have a skill that was not recognised and encouraged. Schemes like this can be difficult for those "outside" their world to understand; its a completely different subculture that these kids exist in, and many conventional methods of trying to reach them just don't work - they have no credibility whatsoever wit. The first step to them having a greater respect for their community is for them to have more respect for themselves, allowing them to express themselves, getting them involved in things, helping them to see themselves as part of something bigger, and showing them what they can achieve if they try. The only way to do that is to come up with schemes like this one that talk to them in their own language.

Mindless vandalism or artistic expression? Check out these sites:

• http://www.graffiti.org
• http://www.ukhh.com
• http://www.banksy.co.uk/pb06.html

See also: Burley Talk