UCSC Alum seeks support for literacy project in the Dominican Republic

Young people from all over the world have been making headlines and leading movements people from all over the world have been making headlines and leading movements, demanding public educational reform, radical democracy, immigrant rights, economic equity and political rights for marginalized populations everywhere. These movements have spurred discussion and action, bringing youth to the forefront of much needed political changes. The Algarabía Literacy Project (ALP) is another important youth movement.

ALP is launching a web-based fundraiser on Monday, August 20th to raise funds for their critical literacy and oral history, youth empowerment program in the Dominican Republic. Using the http://www.IndieGOGO.com fundraising platform, ALP offers several donated incentives from the East Bay Arts Alliance and QuilomboARTE. ALP invites educators, organizers, cultural workers, students and media to collectively support the program through these sustainability efforts.

ALP is a global interdisciplinary program whose aim is to create spaces and platforms that support the empowerment of youth through literary, oral and writing development using critical consciousness and oral history as teaching methods. ALP serves youth living within historically marginalized communities in Latin America, the Caribbean and their Diaspora in the world, fostering networks of dialogue between participating communities.

Since March 2012, ALP has worked directly with 150 youth in the rural communities of El Ramon and San Francisco and the urban barrios of Madre Vieja in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.

Scholar activist Dr. Paul Ortiz, Professor at the University of Florida and Director at the Samuel L. Proctor Oral History Program lends his support stating, ''I am familiar with scores of community-based educational programs in Latin America and the Caribbean generally, and the Algarabía Literacy Project is the most promising educational initiative that I have seen in over a decade.''

With increasing support from local and international activists, scholars, students, journalists, artists and cultural workers, ALP hopes to raise $4,000 or more to enable the implementation of the final programs in the country, including a traveling film series, guest speakers, community "charlas"/dialogues, the publication and distribution of a youth anthology and traveling photography exhibit. This fundraiser will also serve as a start-up fund for our 2013 programs. Projected programs are being organized in Mexico, California-USA, Guatemala, Cuba and Liberia.

To learn more about the The Algarabía Literacy Project (ALP), please visit http://www.proyectoalgarabia.org and support the fundraiser, visit http://www.indiegogo.com/ProyectoAlgarabia.

For media contact and interviews about the general project and/or current program in the Dominican Republic, please contact Solymar Solá Negrón vía email at proyectoliterario.algarabia [at] gmail.com, or Lauren Lystrup by phone at (916) 205-2974.