CUYO Social Justice Summer Program 2018

On August 17, CUYO Social Justice Summer Program (CSJSP) for the 2018 season came to end with a cultural event and community celebration named “Nuestro Viaje / Our Journey.” The event was held at 401 Main Street in Holyoke, the new home of the Puerto Rican / Afro Caribbean Cultural Center (PRACCC). Cuyo, a Taíno word meaning light or fire, is one of the new initiatives organized by Nueva Esperanza, Inc./ Palante Theater Company.

The artistic event highlighted different aspects of the six-week CUYO summer program. There was theater, Bomba y Plena music and dancing, as well as a hip-hop routine, among others. The event offered the parents and other members of the community the opportunity to appreciate the artistic accomplishment of the Cuyantes. One of the most popular parts of the event was the selling of the artwork produced by the Cuyantes themselves.

This year, the CUYO summer program offered a wide variety of cultural activities - amazing field trips to Smith College Museum of Arts, and the Smith College Botanic Garden in Northampton. They visited Hampshire College where they had the opportunity to see the exhibition The Museum of the Old Colony, a conceptual art installation by Hartford-based artist Pablo Delano. The group also went to the Massachusetts Fine Arts Museum in Boston, and attended The Lion King musical at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut. The Cuyantes also visited local nature and historical attractions such as Mt. Tom, and the Dinosaur Footprints Reservation.

One of the most unique activities for the Cuyantes was canoeing on the Connecticut River where they had the opportunity to “jump in a boat and see Holyoke from an entirely new perspective.” Holyoke Rows, a nonprofit organization that reaches “beyond the traditional rowing population and makes passive river recreation accessible to the entire community by eliminating the physical, financial and social barriers to participants in their programs” assisted the Cuyantes in this experience.

Cuyo also partnered with other Holyoke community organizations, such ArteSana - weaving and textile craft workshops, Paper City Clothing Company - silkscreening workshops, Radioplasma - hosted PodCasting and Multimedia training for the second year in a row. Mural activism workshops with Collectivo Moriviví were held in the mornings. Bomba y Plena workshops by Brendaliz Cepeda y Saul “El Pulpo” Peñaloza were also part of the offerings.

According to the Nueva Esperanza Facebook page, 90% of the CUYO participants received 100% financial assistance, and 88% of the Cuyantes attend the Holyoke Public Schools and receive free or reduced lunch.

A total of 32 Cuyantes, ranging from 7 to 13 years of age participated in the summer camp this year. A total of 18 youth were new participants, with an increasing number of Cuyantes coming from outside of Holyoke - Springfield, Chicopee, Greenfield, and one from Maryland.

CUYO’s Social Justice Summer Program (CSJSP) philosophical foundations are based on the social principles of the Brazilian educator, philosopher, author, and leading advocate of critical pedagogy, Paulo Freire. CSJSP is committed to making summer opportunities available to all, promotes social justice, and seeks to shed light on social injustices, teaching teens how to deal with these socio-political inequalities. This alternative summer program encourages youth to make a difference while having one of the best experiences of their life.

Cuyantes canoeing on the Connecticut River (photo Nueva Esperanza)

Visiting the Dinosaur Footprints Reservation (photo Nueva Esperanza)