MISSION
The AjA Project is a compassionate space for young people, activists, visual artists and educators to engage critically with issues that affect our community and realize our collective liberation through participatory storytelling and the documentary arts.
Founded in 2000, The AjA Project is an acronym for the phrase Autosuficiencia Juntada con Apoyo, meaning “supporting self-sufficiency.”
Featured work by Francisco, South County Academy - Fall 2020
OUR IMPACT
The AjA Project provides access to innovative, culturally fluent, high-quality arts programming to youth in the most diverse and historically under-served communities of San Diego. AjA ensures that youth are given the skills and tools needed to use the arts as a vehicle for self-sufficiency. The arts are a powerful medium for personal development, particularly for youth who traditionally have not experienced positive self-expression. The arts are also a strong, proven mechanism to ignite community engagement and social action. AjA’s methodology—participatory photography—allows students to use their images as a platform to safely and effectively discuss their life experiences, goals and ambitions.
We work with youth from a range of socio-cultural, ethnic and geographic backgrounds. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, high school graduation rates in this community is well below the national average; approximately 55% of residents in City Heights do not have a high school diploma. Additionally, 97% of our students qualify for free and reduced-fee lunches. Other challenges facing this community are high rates of homelessness, parental unemployment, academic barriers, and gang violence. AjA believes the key to promoting positive community changes is to invest in young people.
Featured work by Celina, Serra High School - 2020
THE THEORY OF CHANGE
The participatory photography process is the underpinning for all of AjA¹s programs. Participatory photography is a creative modality that asks participants to analyze their personal and social landscapes. Participants create images that represent self and community and use those images as a platform to examine their behaviors, choices and sense of identity. This process of self-exploration is designed to validate and empower the participants’ experience, and provide an avenue for self-guided growth. Participatory photography shifts the power dynamic and allows a completely participant led process and outcome, thereby igniting change from within.
For over 20 years, The AjA Project has been a nationally recognized leader in using photography as a tool to transform the lives of youth. With a camera in their hands, youth discover a safe space in which they can critically examine themselves and their community through images. They can “speak” to the rest of the world through the lens, and tell their own story. Why does this matter? Youth that experience AjA programming demonstrate an increased confidence in communicating their own ideas, opinions, and experiences. They also begin to see themselves as agents of change, capable of advancing positive developments in their communities. This is crucial: youth with higher levels of self efficacy are more resilient, do better in school, get involved in their community, and succeed in academic and professional settings. Photography makes this possible.
The AjA Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization headquartered in San Diego, California. Utilizing participatory art to transform youth and communities. Since its founding over twenty years ago, AjA has provided long-term, community-based programming for over 2000 individuals, and has shared visual narratives with over 1 million viewers through large-scale public exhibits.
