By Joseph Barbaree
Copy edited and produced by Laura Straub
SANTA ANA, El Salvador -- Peter grew up like many kids in El
Salvador, the victim of a crippled economy and strained internal conflict. But
when he was exposed to magic at the age of 12, he discovered his calling - one
that would forever alter his identity.
Living in Terminal, one of the most deadly slums in the city
of Santa Ana, is just part of life for Peter. The 20 year old grew up against a
background that is all too common in the nation’s second largest city:
marginalized children, violent gangs and a strained educational system.
Peter grew up working at his mother’s side, kneading dough
for bread that she could sell in the markets to support their small family. His
childhood was more adult than youthful.
Barefoot Angles in El Salvador
So when he heard of a program called Angeles Descalzos
(“Barefoot Angels”) that took kids from the streets and treated them like
children – he excitedly told his mother.
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| Children at ASAPROSAR courtsey of http://www.asaprosar.org |
“Angeles Descalzos began working with kids in the street –
kids who didn’t have a family to rely on,” according to Ana, the Assistant
Executive Director at ASAPROSAR. “Through that program, we realized that what
the kids needed was a substitute family to support them.”
Many of the children they targeted were either working or
prostituting themselves in some way. Many relied on drugs to numb themselves
from hunger and cold.
The program took a holistic approach to identifying the
problems that are typical of poverty. Ana, Lucy and others realized that they
had to understand how the kids they were targeting came to live in the streets.
There was no room for superficial fixes.
The approach they took evolved into Angeles Descalzos, which
worked to keep children in school, out of dangerous labor and developing
themselves as community members. It presented the chance to be a kid full of
self-expression and creativity.
“[The kids] like it because they
feel good and safe in the physical spaces of the program - they make friends,
they learn about issues that help them to better understand more about their
reality,” explained America, a community psychologist from Santa Ana who works
with children and families involved in ASAPROSAR.
It was the perfect environment that Peter craved.
When he approached his mother to join Angeles Descalzos,
though, she shot down the idea. To her, it was easier to see how Peter could be
utilized as a worker.
But then he got through.
“In some ways, I feel like it was destined to happen,” said
Peter recalling his start in the program. One day his mother simply broke down
and let him join.
His acclimation with the other kids wasn’t quick and easy,
though, according to America.
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| Peter was captivated by magic |
“When he began the art of magic, he
underwent a personal discovery,” explained America. He soon was putting on
shows for groups small and large, and became a leader amongst Angeles
Descalzos’ other magicians.
Magicians without Borders
Peter fell in love with the
performance art when Tom Verner, founder of Magicians Without Borders, visited
Angeles Descalzos during one of the organization’s quarterly trips to El
Salvador. Verner’s organization travels and performs magic for poor communities
worldwide.
Peter became involved with the
group and was able to travel extensively from as near as Guatemala to as
foreign as the United States, meeting others just as passionate about magic as
himself - including Devonte Rosero.
Rosero of Brooklyn, NY grew up
surrounded by gang influences just as Peter did. But Rosero actively took part
in the gang lifestyle and all that entailed. He was forced into re-examining
his life in a gang, though, after a serious injury at 16.
“What magic does is that it gives you an immediate talent,”
said Rosero. He chose to return to
his childhood passion and with his new talent began a career as a magician,
eventually connecting with aspiring performers like Peter.
The two met as part of Rosero’s involvement with Magicians
Without Borders and he soon witnessed the opportunities that Angeles Descalzos
presented to Peter.
Not long after his start in Angeles Descalzos, Peter was
traveling worldwide with other magicians to perform for young men and women
just like him. He says kids are universally drawn to their act because the
group he travels with performs to others just like themselves.
“Magicians Without Borders understands us,” said Peter, “they
live like us, they understand where we’re coming from.”
And that’s the powerful lesson that Peter learned about
himself when he was invited to attend Google Ideas’ Summit on Youth Violence in
Ireland due to his outstanding academic record and community involvement.
“It was something that has transcended me and my life,” he
said about the international meeting.
He found right away that the power of magic as a universal
tool is also reminiscent of some of the most basic facts of life.
“I noticed when the first session [at the summit] started
that people from all over the world – all parts – we are the same,” said Peter.
“Violence is everywhere, all over. They might be different actions, but they
are still all violence.”
Peter’s passion for magic has kept
him heavily involved in Angeles Descalzos, as well as with his own performing
group. And he’s as committed as ever to his studies.
Though his future is still
unwritten, Peter says magic will always be part of his life. “Today, as a part
of me, it’ just essential,” he explained.
In Peter’s experience, there’s no
one reason why kids join gangs. For some it’s easy. For others it’s obligatory.
But the answer to avoiding gang proliferation might lie in how individuals
impact those around them.
“The idea that
you can affect people’s lives in a way that they remember you is so remarkable,”
said Peter about his magic group. “And people always remember us.”
Note: Only first names have
been provided for the individuals living in El Salvador at the request of all
involved. This is to protect both anonymity and personal safety, after prior
reports from news agencies led to the sudden disappearance of community members.
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