Empowerment is often used to describe what one does when working with people of less privilege than oneself. I find this problematic. People do not have to be "empowered", people already have the power that they need to act within them. Acknowledgment of this power is what is necessary. Another person cannot force this onto someone else. What one can do is set up circumstances that make it easier. That is why art-making is such an important part of this process. When a person creates something - that is power. The art object is a manifestation of this power. The feeling one gets after seeing one's creation realized is the realization of how powerful we as humans are. I feel this when I create, I see this in my students when they create. Now how can we set up circumstances that allow this acknowledgment not just in art programs or art school, but in all of life?