Teens gather to Create Mural of Cans Themed “COVID-19” 

Ashwin Patel

LOUIS: The St Louis Teens from the organizations Gujarati Samaj of St Louis and BalVihar came together as one team to build a mural made of canned goods called “CANstruction: Covid-19.”The pandemic COVID-19 induced teens from different school districts and different grades from age 13 years to 17 years participated in this community event.

For the first time, Gujarati Samaj has organized this collaborative project in partnership with the Center for Indian Cultural Education – Bal Vihar of St. Louis. This year’s theme COVID-19 is inspired to raise awareness in this difficult pandemic time. Approximately 2,000+ cans make up this CANstruction structure that took approximately six hours to build and was on display available to view by appointment at GSSTL Center in the main Hall through November 20, 2020.

Later thousands of cans were donated to Hazelwood area Food Pantry TEAM. The teens used both Aer and Creativity to construct this extraordinary structure that represents consciousness, hope, love, and unity among all.

As the country navigates through the pandemic it is very imperative to spread awareness to this deadly virus to the  community. The purpose of this project was to allow our youth to help those in need in the St. Louis community and to teach the value of community service and to create a sense of oneness.

This CANstruction project allowed local youth to come together, while enhancing their leadership and teambuilding skills. With all the hard work and efforts by volunteers from both organizations, we were able to explore the theme “COVID-19” and servicing those in need.

Gujarati Samaj of Saint Louis mission and purpose of Gujarati Samaj is to educate the community in understanding the cultural differences in the Greater St. Louis area and to create interdependent relationships among diverse cultural backgrounds and to become a resource for educational, social, and other need and through joint efforts create networking opportunities for business owners.

The Center for Indian Cultural Education – Bal Vihar of St. Louis is a cultural school designed to promote, instill, and foster Indian culture in children ages 5 and above.  Bal Vihar encourages the youth group (ages 13 an above) to participate in activities that promote respect and understanding of different cultures and religion.