Ahendu!!!

Concierto de Ahendu
Hecho por CoCuMu

Ejumi! Eguahe! Eguapy! Ehendu!

Cuando: 11 de dicembre de 2008
Donde: Cafe en Sintonia - Espana y Senador Long (Asuncion)
Porque: Una festival de musicales paraguayas y estados unidenses

Extencion de Exposicion en la Alianza Francaise

Damas y Caballeros!

Tuvimos tantos éxitos con la Exposición Nacional de Ahecha Paraguay en la Alizana Franciase, vamos a dejarlo allí una semana mas! Nos gustaría invitarles para pasar y ver los trabajos de jóvenes paraguayos y paraguayas!

La exposición va estar hasta el 6 de septiembre, 2008.

Si tengan preguntas pueden llamar la oficina de Cuerpo de Paz
(021.600.155) o La Alianza Francaise (021.210.503) ó visitar www.alianzafrancesa.edu.py

Exposición de Ahecha Paraguay en la Alianza Francaise

Nosotros del Comité de CoCuMu tenemos la oportunidad para exponer las
fotos del proyecto de Ahecha Paraguay en la Alianza Francaise. Nos
gustaría invitarles para venir para la Inauguración de la exposición el
19 de agosto a las 19:30 en la Alianza Francaise (1039 Estigarriba
c/EE.UU). La exposición va estar abierta al publico el 20 hasta el 29
de agosto. Por favor pasar y ver los trabajos de los jóvenes
paraguayos.


Ahecha Paraguay es un proyecto en el cual participa la juventud
paraguaya y está diseñado para dar una oportunidad a los jóvenes de
áreas rurales a desarrollar su creatividad y auto confianza, y ganar
una nueva perspectiva de vida a través del lente de una cámara. El
proyecto pone énfasis en las cámaras y el conocimiento a través de
talleres interactivos de fotografía, en manos de la juventud
paraguaya.

Este proyecto se hace realidad gracias al trabajo de los jóvenes
Voluntarios del Cuerpo de Paz en Paraguay.

Para ver las fotos en una pagina del web, por favor hacer un clic acá.

Si tengan preguntas pueden llamar la oficina de Cuerpo de Paz
(021.600.155) o La Alianza Francaise (021.210.503) ó visitar www.alianzafrancesa.edu.py

Éxito en el CCPA

Tuvimos muchos éxitos con la inauguración de la exposición de fotos en el Centro Cultural Paraguayo Americano, Sábado el 2 de agosto, 2008. Abajo están algunas fotos del evento.

Introducción al Exposición

Artista y su foto

Entrevista con un artista sobre su foto

Las artistas (participantes), Voluntarios y el Vice-Director de Cuerpo de Paz

Exposicion en el CCPA

El comité de CoCuMu (Compartiendo Cultura Mundial) esta muy emocionado para presentar la primera exposición nacional de fotografias del proyecto Ahecha Paraguay. Con el apoyo generoso del Centro Cultural Paraguayo Americano la exposición durará dos semanas para que el público pueda ver los trabajos y habilidades de los jóvenes fotógrafos del interior del Paraguay. La exposición expone trabajo de 12 comunidades de todos partes de Paraguay.

Ahecha Paraguay es un proyecto en el cual participa la juventud paraguaya y está diseñado para dar una oportunidad a los jóvenes de áreas rurales a desarrollar su creatividad y auto confianza, y ganar una nueva perspectiva de vida através del lente de una cámara. El proyecto pone énfasis en las cámaras y el conocimiento através de talleres interactivos de fotografía, en manos de la juventud paraguaya.

El BRINDIS será realizado el 2 de Agosto, 2008 a las 11 de la mañana en el CCPA. Van a estar presentes varios artistas de cada comunidad como representantes. Todos están invitados; vengan a conocer los jovenes fotógrafos! La entrada es gratis. La exposicion va estar en el CCPA hasta el 15 de agosto!

El Centro Cultural Paraguayo Americano está ubicado en la Av. España 352 e/ Brasil y EE.UU en Asunción, Paraguay. Para preguntas sobre el horario o localidad, favor marcar: 224-831 (R.A) | 214-544 o correos a: ccpa@ccpa.edu.py

Para ver todas fotos que estuvieron en las exposiciones en las 12 comunidades por favor ver esa pagina de web: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24414253@N05/map

Para cualquier pregunta por favor enviarnos un correo a cocumu@gmail.com

Road to Exhibitions

This just in-

We are currently preparing for the Ahecha Paraguay Cycle 1 Final Exhibition Series beginning this July in the nation's capital of Asunción, including a Cultural Field Trip that will bring together all of the youth participants from communities all over Paraguay and give them the opportunity to view and celebrate their photographs on display at the Centro Cultural Paraguayo-Americano (CCPA) downtown.

Please refer to the sidebar to the right for a preliminary exhibit schedule.


Latest News:

- CCPA brindis field trip for Cycle 1, Teams 1-3 – dates have been set for Aug 1-2, 2008. See the end of the minutes for the tentative schedule in Spanish. We will be contacting everyone to confirm details SOON AFTER June 16 (date of SPA grant review meeting).

- SPA Grant – The new and old Coordinators turned in some SPA Grants (facilitated by Peace Corps, funded by USAID) for continued project funding! The SPA Grants will include supplemental funding for the Cycle 1 Final Exhibition Series including the CCPA brindis Field Trip. Thanks to Jeff Nicholson, Luke Keeler, Aubrey Stenger and Rachel Newby for signing off on these.


Reminders

- All those on the Final Exhibit long-sleeve shirt pedido, please remember to drop 53 mil (women) or 57 mil (men) in Jen Cheng’s mailbox (g21) by June 23rd. Gracias.

- Please check below for your assigned task team in preparation for the Final Exhibition Series!


Help Wanted

- Partnership Funds Reconciliation – Jim plans to do this at the PCO sometime soon. Anyone interested in lending him a second cabeza (mejor que una)? Contact Jim.

Highlights

- New Coordinators: Rachel Newby, g24 - Ashley Raasch, g22 - Allison Whaley, g22

[Check out the recently added lindo Coordinator-identifying fotos on the sidebar]


***FE Task team assignments***

o foto/frame assembly – Orlando (lead), Claudia, Jim, Sadiya, Matt, Tammy, maybe Kyle
- need to meet in Asunción about 1 week before July 4th to prepare for the inaugural Embassy exhibit
- Orlando will avisar team about set-up and take-down dates

o transportation/set-up/take-down – Orlando (supervising up until COS date), Rachel (supervising after Orlando's COS date), Adam and Ashley (help when possible)
- Let's get PCVC in on this!

o captions – Jen, Jim
- name of photographer and community; assigned number (for print sales); paragraph of each community; map of PY

o self-portrait banner or collage/slideshow assembly – Ashley (lead), Kelly
- the small foto idea morphed into a collage or banner of all the kids' self-portraits (gracias a Rache!)

o publicity – Rachel, Bradford, Luke, Orlando, Jim
- afiches
- invitations (as in to VIPs)
- newspaper (Mariano, owner of Chaco will help, remind him 1 week before Aug 1 Field Trip)
- pasacalles

o sales table/donations box organization – Allison (lead), Sadiya, David, Aubrey

o sales table volunteers – Jill, Jeff (will be contacted by Allison and team)

o products procurement – Jen, Allison, Adam, Jim, Ashley
- see Ahecha merchandise section for specifics

-

Ahecha merchandise (for project sustainment)

o Long-sleeve tees (organic cotton from Aratex (formerly known as Arasy), available to current Ahecha facilitators for now, will be offered to public más adelante) - Jen

o Tote bags (new logo, reorder) – 100 bags
- may need to increase quantity if we get bags as participant CCPA brindis favors
- Allison (bag parchase), Adam (bag printing)

o postcards – Ashley, Jim, Rachel
- got quote from Para Vos graphic design printing place on Rep. Argentina c/ Mcal. Lopez

o participant prints
- Exhibit prints will be numbered
- Prints will be ordered from Kodak in matte (not glossy)
- Purchase form – Jen
- price 50 mil per print (we did market research among PYans AND nortes)
- Will include print and TY slip inside envelope – Anyone interested in prepping? Probably Ashley and Allison (?)
- Buyer pays up front, pick up at PCO, got Michael's OK!
- We need to organize who will do the pedido at Kodak for each Exhibit (help from PCVCs?).

* * *

To Focus on AFTER the Final Exhibition Series is Underway:

Recruiting Volunteers

o Strategies to implement:
- Dispel commonly-held belief that CoCuMu is the artsy group – it is for all Volunteers who want to work with youth on personal development via PYan and world culture & arts tools
- Change meeting time and location (GAD has good time but we wouldn't want to be mean and rob them of their time, would we?)
- Send text messages week before meeting
- More CHP action
• invite Volunteers to CoCuMu meetings during training (like NVAC)
• create a PowerPoint presentation to show trainees (Rachel's suggestion)

CoCuMu Kuat Section
o deadline July 12th
o Ashley will determine optimum order for maximum impact
- Photo spread page – Ashley photos, Jen text
- Meet new coordinators blurb with foto – Ashley
- Ahecha experience – Allison
- How to check out cameras – Rachel
- Camera kit request form – Jen will submit


New Policy: EVERYONE MUST RETURN CAMERA KITS TO THE PCO.
o Why? We found there are issues with direct camera kit hand-off (PCV to PCV)
- can’t check for damaged/missing items
- can’t update manual hard copy
o Is a wear and tear registry necessary? Who will create?
o There needs to be lag time between check-out periods – New Coordinators will decide how long
o Ask Team 3 to bring in cam kits to PCO on June 15th – Jim
o Update manual June 15-16th – Jen, Jim, Orlando

Camera repair – Brad will submit a cautionary what-to-do-in-case doc to include in the camera kit manual about his experience having to fix a camera dropped by a youth participant.

Manual updating and post-cycle 1 overhaul – New Coordinators
o long-term project
o need to include more examples! Adam will get 5 cover-to-cover photocopies of Ashley’s big photo book. We will also include money for more photo book purchase in the SPA Grant.

Ahecha Paraguay CafePress Store
o We set up a CafePress.com account (Kudos to Big B for the idea)
o Here's the link to our CafePress store: http://www.cafepress.com/ahechaparaguay
o When we have some time, we can start uploading products and setting prices and doing publicity
o To make this legit, a Stateside supporter will be authorized to receive money and make official donations via an annual Peace Corps Partnership grant

Peace Corps-Wide Publicity
o Rachel is working on getting us an article in PC's WorldView magazine
o We should also hit up PC Times

-

Tentative CCPA Brindis Field Trip Schedule (in Castellano)

# de participantes - mínimo 36 alumnos y contrapartes paraguayos (adultos), 12 voluntarios
= 48 personas en total

viernes, el 1 de agosto de 2008

A la mañana - llegar al Hotel Chaco para check-in y almuerzo
-después, tiempo para descansar, uso del Salón Bahía para juegos tranquilos-
15:00 - excursión al Museo del Barrio
19:00 - pizza cena en el hotel
20:30 - uso del Salón Bahía para mostrar una película


sábado el 2 de agosto de 2008

7:30 desayuno
A la mañana - llegar al CCPA para el brindis de la exposición de Ahecha Paraguay
12:00 almuerzo y check-out

- Adios Asunción, holajey el Interior!

If you fear change, leave it here.

Come out to the next meeting where we will be choosing the next Ahecha PY/CoCuMu Coordinators. Throw your hat in the ring and have your say on Saturday, May 24th around noon after the NVAC meeting (meet at PCO to decide on lunch plans).

Team 1 (pilot checkout group) met on March 15th for a super-calidad session to share their experiences from running the first round of Photography Instruction Workshops.

As a result of the meeting, we made these key project changes:
- Camera checkout period extended to 45 days
- Team 4 (formerly the June checkout group) will tag onto Cycle 2’s Final Exhibition
Refer to the checkout schedule posted on the sidebar for revised start dates

The Ahecha PY admin binder has been created and can be found in the Coordinator’s office (on the shelf next to Sarah Fout’s desk). This is your 1-stop source for picking up or turning in project forms and other materials.

The project Flickr page is now up with photographs taken by the first youth participants and other project images! Thanks to Jim and Team 1 for blowing virtual life into Ahecha. Check out the mapped photo feature via the link below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24414253@N05/map

Donor emails – Please send any known donor emails to cocumu@gmail.com. Jim is working on a project update email to about Ahecha. Thanks to Allison and Adam for mailing out the official donor thank you letters. CoCuMu’s got gratitude.

Final Exhibition Concept – Banana crates. See it to believe it. Contact Orlando if you’ve been intrigued into collaborating on the Final Exhibition site development and/or design.

The group decided that In-Site Exhibition material costs will be part of the community contribution. We will create a Shared Resource box that will be stored in Jason’s office (for the time being) along with the camera kits. Ahecha vets can donate re-usable project materials for the use of future facilitators.

Priority project assignments

Photograph examples for camera kit - Ashley, Brad
Final Exhibition site development and design sub-committee - Orlando (chair)
Postcard product development - Ashley, Jim
New logo editing - Orlando, Ashley, (Adam?)
Born into Brothels Spanish subtitling - Jeff

Budget update – We are under-budget! Consult Jim for the figures. Extra funds to be allocated to Final Exhibit materials and potentially to postcards or other product investments.

Más ideas –
- Newspaper publicity – Oscar at Kodak offered help with this for the Final Exhibition; talk with in-site contacts for community workshop coverage
- Integrate Ahecha project introduction into Pre-Service Training – consult CHP
- Creating an Ahecha Café-Press page to sell project merchandise (working towards the self-sustaining model)

If you are still reading these minutes, you just might be a calidad candidate for the CoCuMu-Ahecha Paraguay Coordinator position. Ideally we are looking to select a triple-threat trio of 3 co-coordinators at the next meeting. Please contact Jim, Orlando or Jen to discuss your interest.

Ahecha Paraguay Youth Photography Project Launched

Check out a few of our first project photos via our new Flickr account. Click on following link to enter: Ahecha Paraguay Flickr Page

Ahecha Paraguay Project Snapshot

Project Goals: Promote personal development and develop critical/creative thinking in Paraguayan youth via photography instruction; Build local, inter-community and national awareness of participants’ work via exchanges and exhibitions

PCV Responsibilities:
Note: PCV must have been in site a minimum of 6 months before able to participate

Minimum number of PCV trips to Asunción required over 3-7 month period: FOUR
[1) Check out kit; 2) return kit and make exhibition prints; 3) submit exhibition prints for exchange + pick up exchange prints; 4) return exchange prints + prep for Final Exhibition]

Camera Kit – contains 5 digital cameras, accessories and resource manual for Photography Instruction Workshop
Ø Fill out a request form to check out camera kit for period of 45 days (extended from 30 days) and turn it in to the Ahecha PY admin binder located in the Coordinators´ office at the PCO
Ø PCV alone assumes responsibility for all losses and damages to camera kit contents between check-out and check-in dates
Ø After the Photography Instruction Workshop, return the camera kit intact along with completed participant consent and evaluation forms to the PCO

Photography Instruction Workshop – to teach participants basic photography techniques and create opportunities to take photographs in their communities
Ø Find Paraguayan counterpart and/or counterpart organization to co-run workshop (highly recommended)
Ø Select participants that you know well, taking camera equipment liability into account
Ø Hold a minimum of 15 hours of instruction within 45 days - highly recommended to begin workshop BEFORE receiving camera kit with “way of seeing” and other related creativity development activities

In-Site Exhibition – to display participants’ work in a local space and gain community interest
Ø Should be held within 10 days of camera kit return date (keep time frame in mind as In-Site Exhibition prints will be used in the Exhibition Exchange)
Ø Select a public location that is in or near community (school, library, Casa de Cultura, Cooperative, Muni, etc) and make all necessary arrangements

Ø Select and print photographs to be displayed in the exhibition
*Project funds pay for prints-all other materials must come from the community (i.e. fundraiser, local sponsorship, workshop fee, exhibit admission)*

*Refer to Kodak Printing Partnership handout included in camera kit for specific details*

Exhibition Exchange – to connect participating communities and involve participants in photography editing process

Ø After exhibition is held, coordinate with other Volunteers in your team (same checkout period) to exchange copies of exhibition photographs for Exhibition Exchange

Ø Reconvene original workshop participants for a photography critique workshop or informal review of partner community photographs – goal: to select the best images to display in the Final Exhibition series in Asunción

Ø Return partner community’s photographs along with completed form listing selected Final Exhibition photographs to Ahecha PY admin binder

Ø Must be completed before July 15th, 2008 (does not apply to June 15 checkout date Volunteer facilitators).

Final Exhibition – to bring together selected photographs from all participating communities and expose the public at large to the project via a series of formal exhibitions (confirmed at CCPA in Asunción for the following dates: July 31 - August 15, 2008; other locations in development)

Ø Help with organization of exhibition, or at the very least provide exhibition organizers with community and participant description(s) to accompany selected photograph(s)

Seem like a lot of responsibility? That’s how we define commitment to creativity development in youth in Paraguay!

Launch over lomitos

FYI: The next CoCuMu meeting will be Saturday, March 29, right after the NVAC meeting, around noon. Meet at the PCO and head out for lunch + gelato at 4D.

2008 is off to a snap-happy start, with the official launch of the Ahecha Paraguay youth photography project! Once we got the lomitos arabe order going, here’s how we chomped into the meat of the meeting-

Donor Thank You notes –

We got the list of Ahecha donors (thanks Allison and Jim)!

Some post-meeting developments- Allison is going to create a template thank you letter with the PC logo. If PC does not provide free postage, we are going to use the extra funds from project budget savings. Let Jen know if you are willing to meet in Asuncion mid-Feb to help out with printing and mailing.

Ashley suggested sending out handmade photo postcards. Consensus is yes, we want to do it but it'll make more sense to do come Final Exhibition time in July/August.

Jim emailed out the donor list to the group so people can send out personal thank yous.

Camera kit formation –

Jim and Chris have picked up the cameras from Kodak! They will be stored inside PC “med kits” that will be stored inside water-resistant nylon bags to ensure they are campo-proof! For now, the kits will be held in Jason Cochran’s office.

The Ahecha PY pilot group –
The first month’s project facilitators will consist of all CoCuMu members: Rachel, Jen, Orlando and Kelly.
The mission: to brave the untested campo terreno of organizing a photography workshop and local exhibit with PYan youth. Report back with suggestions to develop the resource manual that will be included in each camera kit.
Timeframe to check out cameras, hold workshop and in-site exhibition: Feb 15 – March 15. Please fill out request form and turn into Chris Spahr at the Coordinator’s office.

Preliminary camera checkout schedule –
February 15: Rachel, Jen, Orlando, Kelly
March 15: Allison, Brad Cannon, Kyle, Matt Nigrelli
April 15: Jim, Tammy, OPEN, OPEN
May 15: Ashley, Adam, Anthony, Claudia

Resource manual – Check last blog entry for topic assignments. Email all materials to cocumu@gmail.com. Ashley, Adam and Orlando will be meeting on or around February 15 to work on layout and assembly. The goal is to have a preliminary resource manual to include with the kits beginning March. Other materials that will go into the kit are a copy of Wanna Take Me a Picture (book in English) and Born into Brothels (documentary).

Ahecha PY tote bags – now going for 20.000 Gs a pop at the Coordinator’s Office. For future orders, we can look into getting goods from the Tienda Pilar in Asuncion.

Looking ahead temas– Project publicity (next Kuat), Camera liability (Jason looking into issue with PC lawyer), Future CoCuMu/Ahecha PY coordinators (are you up for the challenge?)

Lastly, all the focus may be on Ahecha PY but new projects are always welcome! Be it art camps, cultural radio resources or , CoCuMu is your sounding board for all those brilliant thoughts inspired by those gritty micro rides, vecinos be they cerrrad@ o abiert@ and long terere has.