- For young people at the Falkenburg Road Jail in Tampa, hope can be in short supply, but with a little paint and the help of professional artists, they're making the space and their own futures a bit brighter.

(gentle music) - You are now at the Falkenburg Road Jail, which is our main facility for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

Presently, we house about 3,300 inmates today.

Of those 3,300 inmates, unfortunately we do have 31 juveniles.

Those juveniles are here because they've been either adjudicated an adult, or they're here on adult charges.

So because they're juveniles, they have some protective status and things like that.

(music continues) So, that's why we won't be showing the inmates' faces, or their bodies here.

(gentle piano music) It's what brings us here today.

You'll see the mural behind me is an attempt to help these kids to realize that even if they are here, or if they're here visiting, that they can make other choices.

(upbeat music) - My name is Kiva Williams.

I'm the Founder of Mahogany Kids Fine Arts Foundation.

We empower minority youth through music, art, and dance.

At Mahogany Kids Fine Arts Foundation, we take pride in giving kids experiences that they wouldn't have outside of, you know, their own network.

(upbeat music) I decided to do a mural because I went to the jail for, like a leadership program.

And the program director told me that they're open to people coming in and doing things with the juveniles, and I was like, "Oh my God!

An art mural will be perfect!"

(music continues) So, I contacted my friend who's, you know, an artist, and I was like, "Hey, this will be a really cool partnership.

Let's," you know, "give it a go."

(upbeat music) - So, the mural is to inspire the kids to follow through with their dreams, that even though they are in a position currently, that that's not the end all.

That they still have a bright future ahead of them and that they should look forward to it.

My graphic design background aided me in developing a concept.

So, I drew everything out on the computer.

I was able to play with colors.

I wanted it to be bold and fun, something that will really uplift their spirits when they come into the building.

(music continues) There's two days for the mural.

The first day, I'm gonna sketch it out.

I will also create it as, like a paint by numbers, so it's gonna be interactive for the juveniles, as well as our volunteers, which hopefully, we'll have some of the staff members, and they too will actually get to work.

So, we'll start painting and it'll all come together.

- I love the mural.

And I was in there when the artist was talking to the kids about, you know, what are their interests and what are their favorite colors, and she incorporated all of it.

So, they were so excited when they got the chance to see it on the wall and start painting.

(music fades) (gentle samba music) The majority of juvenile offenders that we get are going to be around 14, or 15.

And they're mandated to go to school, so, they're either in K-12, or GED.

Their teachers are school board teachers, so, Hillsborough County School teachers, and they follow the same school schedule that the Hillsborough County schools follow.

(gentle samba music) On spring break, they don't have as much to do, they actually miss being in school because you know, they're engaged, they're doing something.

So, they were so excited to be here and be a part of it yesterday.

It was really nice.

(music fades) (piano playing "Amazing Grace") - Ah, my kids.

(chuckles) They're amazing.

They call me Nana Chap.

(music continues) They're here for different charges, but if you really get to know them, you'll understand that their stories are about the same.

Dad may be in prison and mom is an addict.

And many of them are being raised by grandparents, my generation, which is not an easy thing to do, you know?

But to me, this was an opportunity for them to recognize the talents that they have.

And it's something that I talk to them about to pray for, for God to reveal what their talents are.

(music continues) And yesterday was a wake up call for them.

And they were so focused.

They were not playing around, or joking.

They were really focused on what they were doing.

That is beautiful.

And I told them, I said, "You know, you don't realize it, but you're leaving a little bit of your fingerprint here for the next generation that comes in here."

(music continues and fades) - So unfortunately, the majority of the kids in the jail are Black and Brown youth.

So, as a mom of three minority kids, (gentle music) impacting minority youth is important to me because I have three kids of my own.

So, I wanna make sure that I'm being an example and someone the kids can look up to because I wanna do my part and serve in the community.

- It's important for artists and other people in the community to be involved with our juvenile population because it gives them a feeling of support.

And they know that they can do more than just be here, incarcerated without hope.

They can go out and they can get a job.

They can continue their education.

There are people out there that are going to give them a chance.

They're not just thrown away because they're in jail.

(gentle music continues) - They don't have to stay here.

They don't have to get into the adult system and things like that.

So, we hope that everyone that comes in here, leaves here in a better place than what they came.

I think the mural's great.

I'm looking forward to seeing it completed.

This has only been a day, so two days to get this done is a little feat in itself.

(gentle music) - We're almost finished.

We're on Day Two.

I'm really excited for the finished product.

- What I saw yesterday lifted their self-esteem.

And you know, it's really good for them to be able to do these things because they're able to release.

- When they came in, they were enthusiastic, they wanted to help.

They wanted to be a part of the process, and I feel like they were very proud of their work.

- I think this was amazing for both the youth and the adults to come together, work on something, having good behavior, and just having something to look forward to, to motivate them.

It was amazing.

(gentle music fades) (outro music) - [Voiceover] Find out more