A good set of knives is a must in Tony Lopez's kitchen.

Address and phone: 75 E. Pennington St., 622-1000

Meet Tony Lopez, chef and kitchen manager at Dizzy G’s Restaurant, a downtown destination for breakfast and lunch since 1983.

Born in Hermosillo, Son., Lopez got his start in the restaurant business as a dishwasher at an Hermosillo resort. He moved up the ladder to pantry cook, line cook and sous chef, then moved to the U.S. in 1996.

The 38-year husband and father of three has cooked at a dozen local restaurants, including City Grill, Marie Callender’s, Mimi’s Cafe, Macayo’s Mexican Kitchen and El Parador.

He’s run the kitchen at Dizzy G’s since 2004.

Question: What’s your favorite restaurant in Tucson?

Answer: I like Mi Nidito Cafe for Mexican, and for American food, I like Metropolitan Grill.

What’s your favorite dish to prepare and why?

My favorite, let’s see, I guess that would be Fettuccine Alfredo.

What’s your favorite dish to eat?

I really like a good steak. For me, it’s rib-eye.

What’s unique about the Tucson restaurant scene compared to other cities?

There is a nice variety here, a lot of very good restaurants.

What’s your favorite or most used gadget or kitchen utensil?

You’ve got to have a good set of knives.

What do you always have in your refrigerator?

I have a family, so we always have meat, eggs, milk and vegetables, and there are always tortillas around.

Why are you a chef?

I’ve always like cooking for other people. When you get nice comments from your family or your customers about your cooking, it keeps you going.

Caramel-chocolate coffee cooler

Warm weather and a serious caffeine habit can make it hard to resist those fancy iced java jolts from the coffee shop.

But shelling out all that cash to suck down all those calories can thin your wallet while plumping your waistline.

So I started tinkering with at-home versions, trying to come up with something equally enticing, less expensive and at least a little healthier. And if they were fast and easy, all the better.

Here’s what I learned:

• Don’t use regular ice. As it melts, it waters down the drink, and watered down coffee is tasteless at any temperature. Instead, pour brewed coffee into ice cube trays and freeze it. Keep a bag of these cubes in the freezer for use whenever the mood strikes.

While you certainly can brew a pot especially for this, it’s easy (and economical) to freeze the remnants of each morning’s pot.

• Ditch skim milk in favor of fat-free half-and-half. Most standard skim milks lack body and taste. Fat-free half-and-half is remarkably creamy and works well in frozen drinks (including smoothies).

• Invest in flavored syrups. These are what the coffee shops use to juice up their pricey drinks. They come in many flavors and are cheap. A 750-milliliter bottle costs less than $10 and makes about 25 servings.

• No espresso maker? Pick up a jar of instant espresso powder. It’s an easy way to add tons of flavor to an iced coffee drink. It’s also great mixed into baked goods, such as chocolate cakes and brownies.

Caramel-chocolate coffee cooler

1 double shot espresso

1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half

1 cup coffee ice cubes

1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring syrup

1 tablespoon caramel flavoring syrup

Whipped cream, to top

Caramel sauce, to drizzle

In a blender, combine the espresso, half-and-half, coffee ice cubes, and vanilla and caramel syrups. Puree until smooth, then transfer to a tall glass. Top with whipped cream and drizzle with caramel sauce.

Start to finish: 5 minutes

Servings: 2

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 164 calories; 40 calories from fat; 4 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 20 mg cholesterol; 25 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 0 g fiber; 102 mg sodium.

Mocha orange freeze

1 cup fat-free half-and-half

1 1/2 cups coffee ice cubes

3 tablespoons chocolate syrup (the sort used to make chocolate milk)

1 tablespoon sugar

Whipped cream, to top

Zest of 1/2 orange

In a blender, combine the half-and-half, coffee ice cubes, chocolate syrup and sugar. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a tall glass, then top with whipped cream. Sprinkle with orange zest then drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Start to finish: 5 minutes

Servings: 2

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 234 calories; 36 calories from fat; 4 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 20 mg cholesterol; 39 g carbohydrate; 5 g protein; 0 g fiber; 122 mg sodium.

Mocha orange freeze

Kick off Tucson Youth Week on Saturday at the Community Youth Recognition event.

At last year’s event, more than 3,200 youths were recognized for positive contributions to the community.

Among those recognized this year will be youths participating in Global Service Day. Through that effort, Tucson youths will work in group service projects throughout the city this weekend.

What: Tucson Youth Week Community Youth Recognition event

When: noon to 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: Himmel Park, 1000 N. Tucson Blvd., on the north side of the park

Price: free

Info: 624-7225 Ext.203

http://tucsonyouthweek.event interface.com/tucsonyouthweek/ index.cfm

Divorce Recovery Inc. is 100 percent volunteer run, with more than 100 trained leaders serving the Tucson community. Most of them have experienced divorce – either themselves or as children of divorce – and bring a unique compassion and understanding to Divorce Recovery.

The group offers Education for Life Seminars, periodic educational support groups conducted by experienced leaders. In the April 25 From Abandonment to Healing workshop, Susan Anderson presents techniques that help regain balance and self-identity after loss. It will be 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 924 N Alvernon Way. Fees are $65 in advance, $75 at the door.

Divorce Recovery also offers regular groups free of charge led by the trained volunteers including:

• Divorce Recovery I – helps participants come to accept the end of a relationship, and to understand the divorce transition.

• Children of Divorce – (ages 3-18) helps parents and children establish better communication about the divorce transition.

• Living in Step – helps those in or about to enter/form a stepfamily.

• Finances after Loss- provides an opportunity to talk with a certified divorce financial planner.

• Divorce Recovery II: Saying Goodbye – deals with the emotional and psychological aspects of divorce.

• Divorce Recovery III: Beginning Again – to help participants regain a stronger sense of their self-image, and to regain trust in their ability to make sound decisions.

Go to divorcerecovery.net for information on support group dates and locations, or call 495-0704.

For more parenting information, go to the Tucson nonprofit New Parents Network’s Web site, www.npn.org.

Question: I am a father who is very involved in the lives of my sons, who are 15 and 12. Their mother is not in the picture, and they live with me full time.

Last year, I started dating the mother of my 12-year-old son’s best friend, who I met at a school event. We got married in March, and my son was very excited at the prospect of living with his best friend.

Now the two cannot stand each other. They pick on each other, and are constantly at war. It’s hard for them to be in the same room.

I did not see this problem coming. I thought the boys would get along great.

Any advice?

Answer: Kids are always excited beforehand. It’s sort of like two older siblings getting excited when Mommy goes away to the hospital and brings home a little brother or sister. But once the thing comes home, the kids get it. This is for real.

What you are experiencing is not unusual. Kids at any age usually have problems when their parents remarry.

It’s just the way it is.

When little Sun Devil and Wildcat go after each other, the best thing for both of you to do is to refrain from placing a judgment on who did what and why, but to simply hold both of them accountable for fighting, with the suggestion that fighting occurs outside the home and not in the home.

You as a parent could escort kids to the back door and ask them to continue fighting outside.

When they’re done fighting, which usually isn’t more than a minute or two, trust me, they will be at the door, ready to come in.

Usually kids don’t actually duke it out. “You start it.” “No, you start it.” It usually ends with that.

The other obvious thing I would suggest is that you hold, for lack of a better term, family meetings on a regular basis, where family members can talk about what they think is so grossly unfair about the present arrangement.

Try not to be the one that offers solutions to those problems. Let the kids try to figure out how they are going to peacefully coexist.

Pull the 12-year-olds aside and say, “Listen, you have essentially six more years to serve in this prison. It really would be helpful for you guys to learn how to solve your problems. If you don’t, and you continue to act in a non-responsible manner, your mother and I will not be turning over car keys, for example, to kids who aren’t responsible enough to settle routine squabbles in a responsible way.”

That should get their attention.

Dr. Kevin Leman is a Tucson psychologist and author of more than 30 best-selling books, including “Have a New Kid by Friday.” E-mail questions to him at whatsupdoc@tucsoncitizen.com. Photo by Tom Spitz Photography.

Aris Cabrera started helping his mom in the kitchen when he was a boy, which led to his career as a chef.

Address and phone: 445 S. Alvernon Way, 881-4200

Meet Aris Cabrera, executive chef at the Doubletree Hotel Tucson at Reid Park.

Born in Ensenada, Mexico, Cabrera moved to southern Arizona in 1995 and got his start in the restaurant business as a dishwasher at the Rio Rico Resort. He moved up the kitchen ladder to baker, then head pastry chef. The executive chef at the resort saw the potential Cabrera had as a chef and sent him to the Culinary Arts program at Pima Community College.

Upon graduation from the two-year program, Cabrera went back to Rio Rico as a sous chef, then accepted the executive sous chef position at the Amara Resort in Sedona. After two years there, he went onto the Little America resort in Flagstaff as executive chef, a position held before accepting the helm at the Doubletree three years ago.

As Doubletree’s executive chef, the 34-year-old Cabrera oversees two restaurants, two bars, room service and banquet service operations and a staff of 90.

Question: What’s your favorite restaurant in Tucson?

Answer: Acacia has to be my favorite. For casual, I go with Güero Canelo.

What’s your favorite dish to prepare and why?

I love to do braised country ribs. I do my own barbecue sauce with different types of chiles, ginger and honey.

What’s your favorite dish to eat?

Right now, I’d have to say pizza with calamata olives and feta cheese.

What’s unique about the Tucson restaurant scene compared to other cities?

Of course the Mexican flair that we have with all our traditional restaurants would be one thing, but I think you can also find just about everything here from Indian to Greek to some very nice Italian restaurants, and we have the collection of good restaurants that is surprising for a metro area of this size.

What’s your favorite or most used gadget or kitchen utensil?

My chef’s knife is what I use for pretty much everything.

What do you always have in your refrigerator?

Pomegranate juice and parmesan for topping my pizza.

Why are you a chef?

When I was little, I always offered to help my mom in the kitchen, and cooking right next to her and taking in all those smells and tastes of chiles and spices was something that stuck with me. Once you get started like that, you never stop.

TOM STAUFFER

tstauffer@tucsoncitizen.com (tstauffer@tucsoncitizen.com)

If you are a pregnant teenager and need help or support, Teens Outreach Parenting Services can help. If you are a teen with a baby, TOPS can help you, too! To find locations in Tucson (and Maricopa County), call 877-882-2881.
For more parenting information, go to the Tucson nonprofit New Parents Network’s Web site, www.npn.org.

April 24 is Sudden Infant Death Awareness Day, and parents are reminded to know the facts when it comes to keeping babies safe.

Sudden infant death syndrome is the leading cause of baby deaths, claiming the lives of more than 2,000 in their sleep each year.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends parents and caregivers:

• Place infants on their backs to sleep.

• Do not place your infant to sleep in your bed. Instead, bring the crib into your room until your baby is at least 6 months old.

• Make sure the crib has a firm mattress and avoid soft surfaces that could suffocate a baby. Remove blankets, bumpers, toys or pillows.

• Clothe your infant to keep him warm, but avoid too many layers or warm room temperatures.

• Offer your infant a pacifier. Studies have shown a lower rate of SIDS among infants who use them.

• Breast-feed your infant whenever possible: It decreases the likelihood of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections known to contribute to SIDS risk.

Question: I am a 23-year-old single mother with four children. I love them with all my heart, but lately I am easily affected by their defiance and disrespect. I have been reading your book, “Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours.” I have been using some of the guidelines, but it doesn’t seem to be enough.

My biggest issue is my 4-year-old son. We have been struggling with him listening and getting ready for school, and he has become violent. He has hit me, spit in my face and told me that he hates me. I broke down, because I have been trying to make them happy.

My other son is 6. He doesn’t like to do homework and has been lying and stealing.

My daughter is 5 and has the habit of destroying things that I recently accomplished. I mop my floor, and she will urinate on it or if I clean my bathroom, she takes a roll of toilet paper and stuffs it down the toilet. I made her clean it, but I almost lost my temper. My 2-year-old son has been acting out, too.

I don’t like the way that I have been feeling. I am under a lot of stress, but I don’t like regretting the life that I have. Can you help?

Answer: It seems like there might be more to the story than what you are sharing. Kids don’t just pee on floors.

You said you almost lost your temper, and I wonder if maybe you are losing your temper. You need to do a gut check to figure out if you are the stimulus that creates this unhappiness.

I also think you would be smart to move to Parenting 102, which would include reading the book, “Have a New Kid by Friday.” It details precisely what you need to do in situations such as yours.

For example: You never allow a child to hit you. You can hold a child’s arms close to your body, walk them to a safe place, close the door – holding it closed, if necessary – until your child calms down.

It’s really important that your kids see you as a loving authority figure, rather than a reactive authoritarian.

Your plate is very full. But you are the adult here. One of the best lines in “Have a New Kid by Friday” is “An unhappy child is a healthy child.”

If you are starting your day with, “All my four kids must be happy at all times,” you are barking up the wrong tree.

You need to get predictability in your home, a healthy routine. Routine is what gives young kids a sense of security. Discipline should be swift and effective.

You’d be surprised what good listeners kids can become if they know mom is just going to say things once.

Good luck.

Dr. Kevin Leman is a Tucson psychologist and author of more than 30 best-selling books, including “Have a New Kid by Friday.” E-mail questions to him at whatsupdoc@tucsoncitizen.com. Photo by Tom Spitz Photography.

Laura Borella of Caffe Milano appreciates the pasta dishes of her native northern Italy.

Address and phone: 46 W. Congress St., 628-1601

Meet Laura Borella, chef and co-owner of Caffe Milano.

Born in raised in a small town near Milan, Italy, the 45-year-old Borella said she got her start in the restaurant business as a bartender.

“I switched from the bar to the kitchen about 23 years ago and have been in the kitchen ever since,” she said.

Borella met her husband, Carlo, in Milan and ran a restaurant with him there. About 12 years ago, the Borellas came to Tucson to visits Carlo’s sister,

“We liked the sun, and we liked Tucson in general. It was so different from Europe, and we were fed up with the taxes in Italy so we decided to move,” she said.

Laura and Carlo opened Caffe Milano 10 years ago this month. She and her husband still make their way back to Italy every year to learn new things and try new restaurants, she said.

Question: What’s your favorite restaurant in Tucson?

Answer: I like simple food. I like Sakura a lot and for steaks, I like Lil Abner’s.

What’s your favorite dish to prepare and why?

I like pasta dishes in general, and I really like pasta dishes with no red sauce. Red sauce is kind of a southern Italian thing, and in the north, we do more cream and butter and cheese.

What’s your favorite dish to eat?

Cheese. I like all the really fresh cheese. When I go back to Italy, I find everything I like in the way of cheeses.

What’s unique about the Tucson restaurant scene compared to other cities?

I don’t get to travel a lot around the states, but as far as Tucson goes, I don’t know, I think there may be too many restaurants in Tucson, too many so-and-so restaurants with not-so-good food.

What’s your favorite or most used gadget or kitchen utensil?

My chef’s knife always has to be there for me. Nobody can take if from me, not even to wash it.

What do you always have in your refrigerator?

At home I always have parmesan cheese, salad and tomatoes.

Why are you a chef?

I love it. This is my job. I enjoy trying new recipes and learning new things. My food is a little different than the normal Italian food that people may be used to, so I really like it when people appreciated my style of cooking.

TOM STAUFFER

tstauffer@tucsoncitizen.com (tstauffer@tucsoncitizen.com)

EDITOR’S NOTE: This column originally appeared July 22, 2008.

Question: I am pregnant with my second child. My son is 3, and I am feeling very guilty about the whole thing. I am worried I won’t have enough time and energy for my son, what with a new baby coming. It seems like our perfect little family will be changed forever.

I also worry I could never love another child as much as my son. Everyone says your capacity for love grows with each child, but I’m worried about it.

We planned this pregnancy, and I very much want this baby, but I’m worried I won’t have enough time and love to spread around. I can’t help but mourn the fact that our family is changing. Are these feelings normal?

Answer: Thanks for the good question. It’s one that a lot of mommies can identify with because a lot of women have gone through the same feelings you are experiencing.

When you have that little firstborn, you devote so much time and attention to get them to the ankle-biter stage, it’s hard to imagine having another one, for several reasons.

No. 1: the exhaustion factor. You know how exhausting it is to have a little one around. Add another to the equation, and you have a realistic idea of the battle that lies ahead.

Well, it’s a great battle, and it’s a battle that you can win.

No. 2: the love factor. You will have enough love and enough attention and enough desire to care for and take care of this new little gift of life. I think it exemplifies what love and a family is all about.

Trust me, as the dad of five kids, you love them all, but you do love them differently. You love them differently because they are different people.

I have to admit to you that the very first thought I had when my secondborn came into this world was that she didn’t look like her firstborn sister.

Now, I ask you, why should she look like her firstborn sister? But it is a natural inclination that a parent has when about to have the second child.

In some ways it makes you realize how different each little cub is.

You ask the question, are your feelings normal? They are more than normal. It’s almost expected.

Enjoy this new baby. I won’t tell you to keep busy because you are going to be more than busy.

But as a reminder, parents are the ones who leave an indelible imprint on our children’s lives. Just be a good parent and you will end up with great kids.

Dr. Kevin Leman is a Tucson psychologist and author of more than 30 best-selling books, including “Have a New Kid by Friday.” E-mail questions to him at whatsupdoc@tucsoncitizen.com. Photo by Tom Spitz Photography.

Young people can make an extraordinary impact at home, in their schools and in the community.

You can recognize a young person for acts of kindness and good work during Tucson Youth Week.

Ages 11-22 can be recognized for anything from baby-sitting siblings to helping a classmate with homework to volunteerism or activism.

Parents can recognize their children, and youths can submit the names of friends or themselves.

All youths will be acknowledged, and there is no limit to the number of names a person can submit. Last year, 3,200 youths were honored.

They will be recognized April 25 at Himmel Park, 1000 N. Tucson Blvd.

To recognize a youth, go online to tucsonyouthweek.eventinterface.com. For information, call 624-7225 Ext. 203.

Method makes for more healthful fare than cooking in oil or butter

Nordic Ware offers one of several available stovetop smokers.

Want to adopt a healthier lifestyle? Take up smoking.

Smoking is the new frying, as it allows you to achieve flavorful, heart-healthier meals without saturating food with oil, butter or other fats.

While indoor stovetop units, ranging in price from about $30 to $150, won’t give that full-on smoky payoff of traditional, outdoor smoking techniques, they can get pretty close, said Wayne Bennett of Barbecue World, 5068 N. Oracle Road.

There’s a learning curve with indoor smokers, as they can be a little tricky, notes Aaron “The Smoker King” Ralston of Victor, Texas. Use too much liquid and too little ventilation, and you’ll cross the line between smoking and plain-old steaming. Use too much wood and too little ventilation and you’ll smoke a bitter, acrid flavor into your food. Use too much temperature and ventilation and you’ll be poking a broom toward your ceiling to turn off your blaring smoke alarms.

With a little practice and persistence, indoor smoking can become a fun and flavorful habit, said Ralston, a lifelong south Texas barbecue buff who runs a popular Web site and forum devoted to all things barbecue and smoking (thesmokerking.com).

“I prefer smoking the old fashioned way, but I have one of those stovetop smokers, and it actually works quite well,” said Ralston, who works as a financial consultant to support his smoking habit. “What’s nice about it is the temperature is easier to control than with charcoal, where you have to keep working with the amount of charcoal.”

The smoker’s mantra of “low and slow” still holds for indoor smoking, as keeping the temperature below 250 degrees will yield the best results, he said.

That’s complicated with indoor units, as they work by heating smaller, sawdust-type wood chips to about 375 degrees to get them to smolder, Bennett said. If you don’t initially heat the unit up to at least that temperature, you won’t get any smoke going. If you leave it at that temperature, however, you’ll have dry, bitter results, he said.

There’s an easy workaround to that problem, Bennett said: start the smoker on the the stovetop at 375 for about 30 minutes, then transfer it to the oven heated to 200 to 250 degrees.

That’s a tactic that outdoor smokers have long used Ralston said, as the meat is smoked conventionally, then wrapped in foil and finished low and slow in the oven.

You only need about a quarter-inch depth of liquid (water or otherwise) in the drip pans of stovetop smokers. Bennet’s liquid of choice is beer. Wine and orange juice are also popular alternatives, though they’re usually diluted with water, he said.

Ralston likes to cut up onions and garlic and toss them in the water, depending on what he’s smoking.

Good choices for beginners to optimize your chance of success are lighter meats or vegetables.

“Salmon or trout,” Ralston said, “come out nice in the stovetops with a nice, light wood like Alder.”

STOVETOP SMOKERS

• Camerons Stovetop Smokers: Models can be used to smoke or steam. The 3-inch deep, 11- by 15-inch oventop model retails for $49.50, while the Gourmet Mini Smoker (3x7x11 inches) is $29.50. cameronscookware.com/Smokers.aspx

• Emerilware 5-in-1 Smoker: Cast iron unit can be used to smoke, roast, grill, broil and deep fry. $100, emerilware.com

• Nordic Ware Kettle Smoker Indoor/Outdoor Cooker: Domed top allows for larger capacity. Includes removable thermometer. $100. nordicware.com

PICKING THE RIGHT CHIP

Half the fun of smoking is experimenting with different types and combinations of wood.

With outdoor smokers, you want to use wood chips that you soak in water, beer, wine or the liquid of your choice. Stovetop smokers use much smaller chips or sawdust. A less-expensive way to get small chips for stovetop smokers is to buy the cheaper, larger chips, drill holes in them and collect the sawdust, Bennett said.

If you’re using your own wood, make sure it’s dry, as green wood is a recipe for inedible bitterness.

Here is a primer on popular wood types from Ralston:

LIGHT TOUCH:

• Alder: Delicate wood is mild and smooth with a hint of sweetness. Good for fish, pork, poultry and vegetables.

• Apple: Gives off less smoke than other types. Imparts a sweet, fruity flavor and is often used in combination with mesquite or hickory.

• Cherry: Mild and fruity. Often combined with other woods.

• Grapevine: Brings a fruity, tart quality, but can be too acidic, so it’s not usually used solo.

• Pecan: Often used with mesquite for ribs. If used by itself, can actually result in meat that is too sweet.

HEAVY HITTERS:

• Hickory: Good for smoking pork ham and beef. A powerful wood that imparts a lot of smoke flavor but can result in bitterness if you use too much or smoke for too long.

• Mesquite: Burns hot and is also very powerful. Raslton’s favorite, though it must be used carefully to avoid overwhelming food.

• Oak: Red Oak variety is the most popular, but Ralston finds oak to be “superstrong and smoky,” thus he normally cautions against its use.

• Acacia: Similar to mesquite but less powerful. A good choice for softer meats and vegetables.

Four teams from three area schools are representing Arizona this week at the Championship of the Americas in Omaha, Neb. Students are competing against other schools that have robots created from the VEX Robotics Design System, developed by Innovation First Inc.

The teams and their schools are:

• Sahuarita Mustangs, Sahuarita High School

• Jr. Mustangs, Sahuarita High School

• Continental Robotics, Continental School in Green Valley

• Robotic Asylum, Pueblo High School.

Catalina HS project lets immigrants share their pasts & cultures

"Mexico has that spice and heat that makes you feel like home." Christian Ledezma, Catalina student

Some fled the ravages of war and political persecution. Others came for a chance at a life free from poverty and discrimination. These refugee and immigrant children ended up in the heart of Tucson, at Catalina Magnet High School, 3645 E. Pima St.

They tell their stories of struggle and survival through “A New Country, A New Life: Tucson Teens Share Their Experiences with War and Immigration,” created through Catalina’s Finding Voice Project.

“When I was in India, I used to go door to door with a bowl begging for food, but was often turned away with a grumbling stomach,” Catalina senior Mariana Madden, 19, wrote.

“I myself lost a parent. It was a death which no child should see – a sick, graphic, horrible death,” she continued. “After many years of waiting to be adopted, I finally came to America. There was no one who spoke my language.

“Things changed when I came to Catalina Magnet High School. I started to reveal myself and open the doors I had shut for many years.”

Madden’s writing is part of a poster project created last year through Finding Voice. Nineteen of the posters will be shown through April 29 in storefront windows at One North Fifth apartments, 1 N. Fifth Ave.

Students wrote of experiences with war, poverty and violence in their home countries, and shared their stories of immigration.

They worked in teams to create photographic portraits that reflect their lives, experiences and dreams.

Some are working with the Tucson Pima Arts Council to document the impact their art has on the public. It is one of three projects in Americans for the Arts’ “Animating Democracy” Art and Civic Engagement Impact Initiative. Others projects are in New York and Los Angeles.

Finding Voice is a literary and visual arts program, led by teacher Julie Kasper and photographer- educator Josh Schachter. It is funded by the Every Voice in Action Foundation and Tucson Pima Arts Council.

It was established in 2006 to help refugee and immigrant youth at Catalina develop literacy skills by researching, photographing, writing and speaking about social issues.

About 40 Catalina students are participating in the project this year. Most have been in the U.S. less than five years. One arrived seven months ago.

“Dreams and Change” is the topic students selected this year. Some are creating digital stories. Others are making a film. One is organizing a conference on immigrant rights.

Kasper said the class is “a small United Nations.”

“They bring so many experiences with them,” she said. “It’s painful experience but it will help them to be more open minded and make a difference in this world.”

Schachter said the art produced “has been like unwrapping a gift.”

“They not only discovered themselves, they are helping Tucsonans discover a Tucson they might otherwise not see,” he said.

Tam Le, 18, is making a movie about racism. He left Vietnam last year to help care for his grandparents here.

“I miss my friends, my country, my traditions,” he said. “People in my neighborhood stay in their houses and don’t talk to anyone. I think they don’t want to talk to refugees and immigrants.”

Patience Gelee, 17, moved here from Liberia. “People were dying because of the war. My mother wanted a better life for her children.”

She was happy to come to the U.S. “I was coming here to achieve my dream to become a doctor.”

Vianey Valenzuela, 15, and her family moved here from Sonora. They are working toward becoming citizens.

“People should have an opportunity to get the American dream of better jobs and a better life,” she said.

Suleiman Siddiqi, 16, and his family settled here a year ago through the International Rescue Committee. Before he was born, his family fled Afghanistan for India.

“It’s horrible,” he said. “I haven’t seen my grandfather or grandmother or aunts and uncles and cousins. I cannot go back to my country.”

He hopes his words and photos will make an impact.

“I hope, if people listen, if they listen to my voice, it will prove the American dream is alive.”

———

IF YOU GO

What: Display of posters in Finding Voice Project’s “A New Country, A New Life: Tucson Teens Share Their Experiences with War and Immigration”

When: daily through April 29

Where: storefront windows at One North Fifth, 1 N. Fifth Ave.

Other photos and artwork are part of Tucson Youth Week’s “ARTivism Youth Art and Engagement” exhibit at Rocket Gallery, 270 E. Congress St., open through April 29; 4 to 6 p.m.Tuesdays through Fridays and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays

Price: free

Info: findingvoiceproject.org; tucsonpimaartscouncil.org; tucsonyouthweek.com