Annual Report 2020-2021
"Over the years, my experience in The AjA Project Through My Lens program showed me a whole new world. It allowed me to analyze different perspectives and views of society… Taking photos helped me expand my creative process, and share my story and the struggles that I have faced over the years... I wouldn't have learned about the different issues society faces or the true values one carries to live a normal life."
— Salma, Through My Lens, Serra High School
Featured work by Andrés Hernández, Anna Almore, and Luisa Martinez, Teaching Artists
"I think throughout this whole program, I really appreciated how many opportunities there were to talk to different masters of different crafts. I don't think I would have been exposed to all of these different things had I not participated. And I'm really grateful for that because I've always had an interest in a bunch of different things from photography to writing, to audio, um, things, and also videography of course. So getting a nice sampling of all that and getting to work with you two has been really great. So thank you both for that."
— Rose, Speak City Heights Youth Media, 2021
Program Reports
City Heights Youth for Change
City Heights Youth for Change, The Global ARC and The AjA Project present a body of artwork that rejects the ways that City Heights Youth are negatively stereotyped by telling their own stories. Ten organizers from CHYFC worked with The AjA Project to use photography as a tool to visually respond to the survey data collected by CHYFC and the Global ARC around the topics of law enforcement, safety, cleanliness and education.
Compass
The Compass program serves as a hub for community wellness resources that hopes to foster a space for interdependent and self-sufficient discovery. At The AjA Project we understand there is a responsibility that comes with the process of healing, this is why we lean on artists and health professionals in our community, to work collaboratively with our staff to build health resources that meet our communities needs. Compass is our first virtual, asynchronous program, which expanded our reach to youth during the global pandemic.
Photo City
Mental health resources are hard to access, the issues are difficult to talk about (which can discourage those who need help), and the data show there are racial disparities among those who are or aren’t able to receive care. But we know from deep experience that the arts are both an entry point and a vehicle for healing. In COMPASS we will support existing youth leaders with radical healing + art spaces that enable dialogue about mental health challenges, generate resources to share with peers, and host art-rich, real-time events that support healthy development.
Speak City Heights Youth Media is a program hosted by the AjA Project in partnership with Media Arts San Diego through The California Endowment Building Healthy Communities grant. It matches passionate young storytellers with the resources they need to engage in multimedia participatory community journalism around themes of identity, justice, and liberation.
Through My Lens
The Through My Lens program uses photography and visual arts as a tool for young people to tell their own story and explore aspects of self, experience, and community. In this program, youth participants document and raise awareness around social issues impacting them on an individual and community level. Additionally, this program supports student advocacy for community change through the arts, while also providing artist mentorship opportunities.
2020-2021
Partnerships
2020-2021
Funders
2020-2021
Our Team
Together we foster dialogue-centered learning that empowers the voices of our community. Our Teaching Artists lead with vulnerability, providing an honest reflection of the gaps of our own experiences that help to shape the foundation of our hope for the future. We uplift our team by actively working towards the transformation of systemic oppression by evaluating the administrators, policies, procedures and programs that make up the infrastructure of our organization. We are a mirror of the communities we serve.
Written Collaboratively with The AjA Project Team - Read More Here
Teaching Artists
Alejandro Arreguin Villegas
Alejandro Martinez
Alexandra Uzarraga Gonzalez
Amiahlina Figueroa
Andrés Hernández
Anna Lynch
Beto Soto
Christina Chomut
Dana Washington-Queen
Diana Cervera
Endiya Griffin
Famo Musa
Janel De La Torre
Jeff Valenzuela
Giovanni Jesse Sanchez
Joselynn Ordaz
Josemar Gonzalez
Laura Arango
Lorain Rihan
Luisa Martinez
Ari Rio-Mathioudakis
Rasha Asfour
Rizzhel Javier
Shirin Towfiq
winter smiley
Guest Speakers
Alanna Airitam
Alejandro Arreguin Villegas
Andrea Chung
Beto Soto
Ian Cuevas
Ingrid Hernandez
Ingrid Leyva
Interference Archive
Jeff Valenzuela
Johnny Nguyen
Julio M. Romero
Kingston Chung Neff
Mariel Miranda
Melissa Dueñas
Lissa Corona
Rebecca Goldschmidt
Susan Hasegawa
Wendy Maruyama
Valerie Bower
Board of Directors
Aya Ibarra, Chair
Alexander Fattal, Co-Chair
Bach Cuc Daisy Doan
Junichi Satoh
Kris Lin-Bronner, Treasurer
Maria Chavez, Secretary
Rebecca Webb
Managing Director
Rizzhel Javier