A Place to Let Our Imagination Run Wild

Hello, my name is Crystal. I’m twenty years old. I grew up in a neighborhood where there were no community centers or after school programs. There was pretty much no place to go but home or streets.Thanks to Street Library, the streets became a big and happier place. The Street Library gave us virtues and moral values to help reduce some of the violence. My family grew up in Ocean Hill, Brookyln. It was tough, so we had to be tougher. With the help of Street Library, all of that changed. The streets became a place where we could sit, read, draw, and write. The Street Library volunteers always had something for us to do. But most importantly, they gave us a space where we could let our imagination run wild.Growing up with ATD Fourth World has helped me to become a person I am today. The Fourth World family has taken me to places where the streets can’t. I’ve been to Washington DC to speak and to meet ATD Fourth World members from other countries and a representative of UNICEF, where I learned that New York is not the only place going through poverty. There’s poverty all over the world. The Fourth World has given me a chance to see it, give testimonies, and meet people in and out of poverty.From Haiti, Honduras, to New Orleans, I learned that just because we come from different streets doesn’t mean that we don’t face the same problems.Being a part of ATD Fourth World for so long has made a big impact for not only me and my family but also for many other families. It taught me to always keep a positive outlook on life, and that there are always sunny days after going through storms. It inspired me to always give back to my community in whatever ways I’m able and be a positive impact wherever life is taking me, just like the Fourth World has been to me.