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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Gearing up adds up Since You Asked: Yellowjackets seem to be less active this year Giant air tankers add to Medford's fire response Emergency Services Long-awaited Talent roundabout set to open Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency Services MPD crosswalk sting leads to several tickets Firefighting will close part of Lost Creek Lake over Labor Day weekend Grants Pass man arraigned on charges related to fatal DUII crash Saturation patrols planned this weekend Politics and Elections Gold Hill mayor faces challenger; other races have one candidate each Medford proposes new rules for pawn shops to help nab thieves Lack of incumbents, pot issue draws 10 for Medford council races Council members in Gold Hill dodge voter recall Bill Pullman campaigns for Oregon GMO labeling law Education Gearing up adds up RCC program helps prepare Latinos for college SOU launches leadership degree program Medford charter school opens with many changes, including its name Superintendent welcomes staff to a new school year Environment Judge won't block release of water Ashland marchers won't give up on climate change message OR-7 could be recollared next month Deadly deer virus may be spreading Talent earns Bee City USA designation State news Nation - World Obituaries Merle I. 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NW Raw Kelly's Crepes Basil & Berries India Palace Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Firefighting will close part of Lost Creek Lake over Labor Day weekend ... Saturation patrols planned this weekend ... Wind shifts should rid Rogue Valley of smoke ... Firefighting will close part of Lost Creek Lake over Labor Day weekend ... Saturation patrols planned this weekend ... Wind shifts should rid Rogue Valley of smoke ... EDUCATION Safe haven: Art program provides a place for youth to express themselves About 250 works of art hang on the walls of the Life Track Art Gallery and Youth Center in downtown Medford, while another 120 pieces are tucked away in closets, drawers and wooden trunks just waiting to be displayed. By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 25, 2014 @ 6:19 pm Updated Aug 26, 2014 at 12:13 AM By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 25, 2014 @ 6:19 pm Updated Aug 26, 2014 at 12:13 AM » Social News About 250 works of art — some digital, some recycled, some graffiti and some unfinished — hang on the walls of the Life Track Art Gallery and Youth Center in downtown Medford, while another 120 pieces are tucked away in closets, drawers and wooden trunks just waiting to be displayed. The gallery and youth center at 106 S. Grape St. opened in January, giving at-risk youths age 10 to 22 a space to express themselves creatively, hang out and open up about issues they are facing, such as bullying, depression, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse. Last October, OnTrack Inc. and Phil Ortega’s art-not-graffiti program, LIFE Art, formed a collaborative partnership, Life Track, around a $225,000 grant from Providence Health Plan Community Benefits Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation. With the money, Life Track was able to rent the new space and pay for art supplies and four part-time staff — two mentors, a case manager and a grant administrator. “Kids who were struggling before had to deal with their stress in isolation, but now they have a caring environment where they can drop in and find the support of mentors throughout the week,” Ortega said. The Life Track project was formed, in part, as a response to Jackson County’s growing need for suicide intervention. Jackson County had the second highest number of youth suicides in the state between 2003 and 2010, and emergency visits for youth experiencing mental health crises increased by nearly 150 percent between 2008 and 2012, according to data provided by Rita Sullivan, executive director of OnTrack. “(Life Track) really was in recognition of the high rates of bullying, suicide, gangs and substance abuse that existed in the valley,” said Sullivan. “The idea was to take the traditional clinical services OnTrack offered and combine those with the grassroots efforts of Phil Ortega because we know that some kids express themselves better through art.” This summer, Life Track hosted poetry jams, an anti-bullying campaign, educational forums, Saturday art classes, Art with a Purpose sessions for topic-based expression, and various art-centered groups, such as the Young Men’s Group and the Girls Exhibiting Many Strengths — or GEMS — group. Last Saturday, more than 33 youths squeezed into the 1,200-square-foot space for watercolor and video production classes, Ortega said. Some students accessing OnTrack’s school-based counseling and treatment services express an interest in art and are referred to Life Track, which provides a “prosocial” outlet, said case manager Tyrone McDonald, who is at the gallery four days a week. Other students are referred to the program by Jackson County Mental Health or school staff. McDonald said about half of the youths he works with on Saturdays and in the Young Men’s Group are walk-ins. This fall, Life Track will bring programs such as Finding Focus, GEMS, Art with a Purpose and the Young Men’s Group to several local schools. On Friday, Miriam Banuelos, 19, a freshman at Rogue Community College, was at the gallery working on a group art project for her alma mater, Eagle Point High School. Banuelos said she gave up art in middle school after a bully tore one of her works in half and teased her for being Hispanic. Then, when Banuelos was a junior in high school, Ortega saw some of her paintings and encouraged her to join Life Art. Since then, she’s helped mentor middle school girls through the GEMS program and completed nearly a dozen of her own paintings, which she describes as “Chicano style.” She’s also recently gotten into Japanese animation. On Fridays and Saturdays, she shows up at the Life Track gallery to work on personal and group projects. “I’m really shy, so Life Track has helped me meet different people and open up,” she said, adding that now she doesn't have to paint in her kitchen at home. Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected]. Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt. By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 25, 2014 @ 6:19 pm Updated Aug 26, 2014 at 12:13 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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