PARTNERS
Corporacion Renovacion
WHO?
WHERE?
The Cultural Corporation, Renovación (CCR), is a
community-based non-profit organization seeking spaces that encourage the participation and inclusion of the citizens through the development of artistic activities. The CCR works children, young people and adults from Castilla, Medellin who have historically been marginalized in Colombian society and affected by violence. CCR was founded in 1991 by Luz Gabriela Montoya Zapata, a teacher with 33 years of experience behind her. Since then, CCR has become one of most recognised community organisations involved in cultural activities in Medellin. It has more than 16 years experience working in the field of education and production in the arts. The staff is made up of people trained in different disciplines, with experience in the organisation and management of projects of artistic promotion and formation, execution of socio-cultural projects and artistic events of the city. At the moment, it has a core group of more than 90 youth and a network of 200 participating youngsters.
The CCR is based in the neighbourhood of Castilla in northwest Medellin, Colombia.
WHAT?
The main aim of the CCR is to create spaces of participation for the population of the city of Medellín, by means of workshops in fine arts, theatre, dance and alternative cultural activities, for the active and creative use of free time, with the goal of nurturing better citizens who will give back to the community. In addition, the CCR aims to bring life to the educational spaces through artistic, recreational and cultural expression, developing and creating specific forms of the creative expression that strengthen the sense of community for all its citizens. The CCR provides workshops in: • Theatre: Performance, physical expression, vocal technique, make-up, wardrobe and stage design. • Dance: Modern dance, classic ballet, folkloric dance, contemporary dance, direction and stage production • Fine Arts: Painting, drawing, sculpture, photography • Music: Percussion, wind section (clarinet-gaita) • Other workshops: Field trips and awareness activities You can find out more about the Corporacion Renocavion on their blog, corporacionrenovacion.blogspot.com and on YouTube. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rrv8KYe7ww) Photos: Above left, The CCR youth team. Above right, young people participate in different dance and street theatre workshops
PARTNERS
Corporacion Renovacion
? W HO
METHODOLOGY
The CCR’s methodology focuses on three fields:
• Artistic Formation: giving workshops in different art disciplines focused principally on the children and young people from Medellín. • Projection and artistic promotion: production of shows and artistic outlets for socialization through public events and commercial events. These productions are the result of different formation processes developed with the participation of young people. • Development and management of socio-cultural projects. With the aim of reaching a greater number of people, the CCR constantly develops projects where art is the fundamental means for citizens to strengthen their community ties with one another and to contribute to the educational and pedagogical systems and to establish direct communication between culture and citizens.
WHY?
BACKGROUND
The role of young people in Medellin has been vital in the history of the city over the last 30 years. They have generated the majority of the political, social and cultural changes that have determined the substantial transformation in the dynamics of this city which has quickly absorbed the social proposals of global context. Their participation in the processes at a cultural level and the great impact that they have had in the city has been made possible by community organizations and associated groups. These groups have welcomed the participation of young people or were actually created for the purpose of ending the violence that has accompanied them in the streets of their neighborhoods. To come from one of Medellin’s violent neighborhoods, Castillo for example, was enough to be marginalized and stigmatized by the rest of society, young people from these areas were perceived to be directly linked to drug trafficking and assassinations. Art, through its various forms, was a means of attracting young people to participate in the organizations. Art was used for its ability to raise awareness of the possibility of different forms of communication: through body language, images and the imagination. Public spaces such as parks, streets and green zones were somehow taken back, allowing the young people to interact with their peers and to present symbolic and allegorical images of extreme violence which had played such a large role in their lives. Art can also be used as a communication mechanism that makes possible a profound and concrete dialogue, paving the way to inclusion, organizational participation, and a desire for freedom.
Photos: Above left, dance workshops at CCR and young people participating in carnival performance. Above right, the CCR office. Credits: La Corporacion Renovacion