Santa Barbara’s Teens Rise Together

More than 300 people gathered Saturday morning at SBCC’s West Campus lawn to celebrate community resilience following the Thomas Fire and Montecito debris flow. Presented by Attitude, Harmony, Achievement (AHA!) and the SBCC Foundation, the Rising Together event was organized by teens involved in the AHA! Peace Builders program. “What I hope is that the people who came here today feel connected,” said 17-year-old Alexa Sisney.

The morning culminated with participants creating a field-size art piece ​— ​a white dove rising above the flames and mud ​— ​with their bodies and other materials. Artist Daniel Dancer of Art for the Sky photographed the image from above (pictured). Dancer said the main teaching of his art is to encourage people to appreciate the big picture, which means seeing through the eyes of the earth and of future generations.