You might have seen Venezuela in the headlines lately...in a time of crisis, where the whole world is talking about Venezuela...what can we do to empower the next generation? MiRA is our answer. By bringing free photography workshops to Caracas' most vulnerable neighborhoods, we are fostering a mobile, community-first space that promotes agency, democracy and creativity. We hope that, by creating a link between the youth and the world, we can show the reality of Venezuela through their eyes.
Venezuela is currently in a freefall, economically and politically. While migration has gone into the millions over the past few years, those who are still here cannot be forgotten. Caracas's public schools and extracurricular programs have been hit hard, to the point that just one year ago, schools were at only 60% capacity and 10% of teachers had migrated. While many are looking to survive day-to-day, we are picking up where others had to leave off, reaching at least 400 youth/year.
MiRA provides holistic alternative arts education programs to Caracas' most vulnerable neighborhoods. Through community programming, we don't only teach photography but work towards sustainable relationships with community leaders. We focus on teaching photography, but also hold wellness classes for families during workshop cycles believing that a wholly healthy and engaged family is the goal - despite material conditions. Through sharing our knowledge, we teach kids their perspective has value.
Through our photography workshops, MiRA works to create long-term relationships with communities and students. Beyond being able to reach over 400 youth / year, through public schools and community spaces, we host cultural field trips for students. Eventually, with our mentorship, we will create connections that could lead to more serious change: like assistantships, job opportunities - even becoming a MiRA instructor for younger youth in their area!
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
