Some of the graffiti art completed in the programme. Photo / Supplied
While graffiti is often thought to be something young people do to defy authority, a Dannevirke teacher aide is using the art to help pre-teen girls build self-esteem.
The programme, called Self Expression Graffiti Art, is being run for two days this week at Tararua REAP for girls aged 9 to 12.
Caroline Mason, who works at Huia Range school, first tried the programme with senior girls at the school.
"This is the first time I've come outside of school to try and just push it a bit more and just keep it rolling. And hopefully become a regular thing."
She said the programme was not all graffiti art, as there was also a collage the girls could do, but it was one of the things she looked at because she felt it was a style many young people liked.
The idea came about through the Christchurch earthquake.
"That in itself started a lot of anxiety. What they did with the city afterwards was there was a lot of artists brought in to start doing commission pieces around the city to beautify it.
"I wanted to bring that in and combine it with this class that I did because it's interesting."
Mason hoped to evolve the programme to include other things she had seen or learnt.
"It's just getting girls to look at themselves in a nicer, kinder way. Especially at that age."
It was one thing that, as a shy, self-conscious young girl, she felt was lacking in her own childhood.
"[There was] nothing like this when I was growing up."
In one programme she did, she had the class go through some graffiti art and pick out a few pieces.
"They had to write their thoughts on each board. And we'd sit and move around the classroom as groups so they would put their thoughts on what they thought the piece was about.
"Then we moved forward to looking at themselves and thinking about something positive about themselves that they liked, something they thought they were good at."
Mason said she would have them playing around with different techniques.
"They came out with some really lovely pieces. Some of them used the word kind, sporty – lots of different words that they brought out."
She had also done another class which was a self-portrait, done with collage and using easy techniques.
"Because not everyone is arty."
She said the self-portrait one again was looking at oneself, thinking about positive words.
The girls had already done a session with their teacher where they had to write some words about themselves.
"We just built on that," Mason said.
She would get them to create a collage using pictures of things they liked, then stick them on a piece of paper, along with the words they'd written previously.
Another part of the programme was looking at the work of English cartoonist and book illustrator Charlie Mackesy, who produced the book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.
The book revolves around four characters and life lessons they learn together.
"Firstly they were just illustrations that he'd done for years and years with a little caption underneath and now it's been turned into a book," Mason said.
"He actually publicly speaks as well. Quite an amazing person."
She said Mackesy also did art classes with people all based around mental health.
The book was just one of things she had found along the way.
Mason said she had begun studying to be a teacher but had chosen not to keep going with the teaching degree.
Working as a teacher meant she would have to stick to a set curriculum.
"I've wavered off that idea because I think I would be more useful doing these target groups."
She was hoping to do some other short courses once she had finished what she was currently studying in arts.
She was considering courses in mental health, so she could find a way to combine the two fields.