Surrey WRAP students promote inclusivity with second shipping container mural for City of Surrey

From left to right, Surrey Schools graduate Selena Oakley, outreach worker Amelia Misak, and fellow grads Yasmine Nijjar and Nathan Preshyon were just a few designers who painted a new shipping container mural with students from the district's WRAP program. The mural is currently outside the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre and houses boiler equipment to heat nearby apartment buildings.

A new mural by students from the district’s Wraparound (WRAP) program is on display near the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre, painted on the second of two shipping containers commissioned by the City of Surrey.

Last year, the City of Surrey’s Sustainability and Energy Services enlisted the help of WRAP students to paint two murals on shipping containers that house boiler equipment to heat nearby apartment buildings. The shipping container murals are the latest designs by WRAP students – who previously painted Stolen Sisters, Every Child Matters and Common-Unity – and feature imagery with a focus on identity and inclusivity.

“We wanted to represent and also contribute to not only the community of Whalley and Chuck Bailey but the community of Surrey and Vancouver in general,” said graduate Selena Oakley. “That’s why we decided to put the medicine wheel and the Pride flag to show unity and equality and show our appreciation and that we care.”

“We had a lot of queer youth help us on the mural,” said fellow alumnus Yasmine Nijjar. “A lot of the mural symbolizes those communities and we wanted them to be represented and have a platform to voice their identity.”

Over a five-week span, Oakley, Nijjar and Earl Marriott Secondary grad Nathan Preshyon mentored more than 10 youth on the mural, with design led by local artist Chris Perez. Safe Schools social worker Jon Ross and outreach worker Amelia Misak also served as project representatives.

Preshyon said much consideration was put into the sizing and details of the rear wall of the mural, which includes the word “WHALLEY” in large bold letters, juxtaposed by smaller symbols such as gender icons, yin and yang, hearts and handprints.

“The idea of having Whalley on the back wall was you can see it from the farthest away, and it looks like just one image that says, ‘Whalley,’ with some nice colours,” he said. “But when you get closer, you see the little nuances of the community, and that’s kind of an image that represents the community as a whole. We want people to take a closer look.”

Ross said the container is expected to be around for 20 years, though its home may not be the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre forever.

“What’s unique about this one is it’s probably our most high-profile one, in that this container is going to move all around the city of the Surrey,” he said. “It’s going to go on tour every couple of years to do similar efforts in various neighbourhoods around recycling run-off water into heat.”

But for the students and grads, seeing the mural finally ready for display has given them a strong feeling of accomplishment and a sense of pride in seeing another project through.

“Knowing what it was like to be a youth and now bringing on youth as lead artists, it’s a very unique experience,” said Nijjar. “Opportunities like this for youth are kind of in short supply, so seeing them have the satisfaction of finishing it is the best part.”