Overcoming darkness at the speed of light
Donation protected
Almost six years ago, a bunch of graduates, a couple of teachers and a handful of high school students challenged devastation when it tightened its grasp in Caracas.
Their response to an oppressive situation: a short film workshop lab designed with at risk communities. In other words: liberty and education. Of course, we also had to overcome violence, hunger and exile. Against all odds, and severe blackouts, here we are, decided to keep the light of cinema alive, for just one more time. Yet, we do need help.
Through this years, riddled with fear and destruction, we have managed to create and sustain our humble project in Community and Cinema. Amidst adversity, in the impoverished outskirts of Caracas, with volunteers conflicted by the pressure to leave their homeland, we have been able to help at risk youngsters write, produce and direct their very own short films; as well as design and develop a much needed educational alternative.
After six shorts created in three communities, the project has thrived to the point that those who were once youngsters assisting the workshops, are now producers and coordinators leading field activities, including the design of a software application that can help other organizations create their very own film workshops.
The thing is, last year, one of the country's worst in its acute downfall, even though we managed to broaden our reach, working aside prestigious educational and civic alternatives in three slums of Caracas: Baruta, La Vega and El Calvario; well, we fell out of resources.
We only need one additional push in order to:
1. Develop film workshop Creative Sequence 7 and come full circle with our project, developed, co-designed and implemented by at risk youth in a country some consider at the verge of war.
2. Follow through initial website design and first interactive workshop platform project mock-ups, a promising idea that may well become a beautiful software application in the service of other educational projects.
3. Outline and systematize our work during this challenging years in order to share our story of hope, and our proven method in cinema, community and democracy, with educational organizations, universities and NGOs.
Please, do join us. We know we are not alone. If we make it, beyond sharing the results, we will have told to ourselves, to Venezuela, to the entire world, that if we can create new educational alternatives amidst devastation, hope is not lost, but always found. And well, that's no small thing.
Here is a sample of the shortfilms written, produced and directed by participants in our projects:
Vacío (Empty) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhBob14r4p8&feature=youtu.be
Colegio Fe y Alegría Monterrey
2018
Making Of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jDLaG929dw
Reencuentro (Reunion) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKvvWDD4TF8&feature=youtu.be
In partnership with Chamatech, La Vega
2018
Making of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnTdcoQh0G0&feature=youtu.be
Los Golpes de la Vida son Dulces Esperanzas (Life's punches are sweet hopes) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY6qj8CiUqA&feature=youtu.be
El Calvario, Municipio El Hatillo
2018
Why do we recur to a crowdfund?
Because it was part of our idea from the beginning. We knew we were in the middle of great adversity, with volunteers and part of our team leaving the country due to the crisis. We had to grow at the pace our country allowed regarding sustainability and outreach of our proposal.
Because we needed to work under principles of utmost liberty and autonomy, through small and specific alliances, as we better understood, precisely, how to shape this emergent organization, made up mostly of young Venezuelans working in at risk communities.
Because, from the beginning, we thought of doing just one test workshop. But we never imagined that we would be here, with such results, with a project that understands cinematographic creation as education in citizenship and democracy.
And all this, through innumerable and essential, yet small contributions.
That's why we are counting on you for this additional push. We must pay equipment rental, security, transportation, alimentation for our volunteers and workshop participants, as well as a small fee for our coordination and production unit, mainly composed by graduate and undergraduate students.
Venezuela is at the heart of many who have truly helped us respond to what worldwide experts call a Complex Humanitarian Emergency. In our case, every cent invested helps a driver, a technician, a youngster and his family, a university student, a volunteer, to keep the light of creation alive, strengthening community ties with a sense of purpose and humanity that will allow us, whatever the outcome, overcome this unbearable situation.
We need to make this story come full circle, a story well worth of the silver screen. That of a bunch of youth, communities and teachers that co-design a cinematographic and educational project in the worst place and moment possible in history, with the best imaginable results and their hope unharmed in their pursuit of their right to education. Not bad, and nothing more than necessary, among many other initiatives, in order to not lose our way as a society that cherishes freedom, creativity and democracy.
How will the funds arrive to our hands?
We've added Ángel Zambrano as the beneficiary to our campaign. He's an activist and director of a fellow NGO and he will be sending the donations to Venezuela to Plano Creativo's coordinator through PayPal. If you have any questions regarding this process, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email redacted].
Their response to an oppressive situation: a short film workshop lab designed with at risk communities. In other words: liberty and education. Of course, we also had to overcome violence, hunger and exile. Against all odds, and severe blackouts, here we are, decided to keep the light of cinema alive, for just one more time. Yet, we do need help.
Through this years, riddled with fear and destruction, we have managed to create and sustain our humble project in Community and Cinema. Amidst adversity, in the impoverished outskirts of Caracas, with volunteers conflicted by the pressure to leave their homeland, we have been able to help at risk youngsters write, produce and direct their very own short films; as well as design and develop a much needed educational alternative.
After six shorts created in three communities, the project has thrived to the point that those who were once youngsters assisting the workshops, are now producers and coordinators leading field activities, including the design of a software application that can help other organizations create their very own film workshops.
The thing is, last year, one of the country's worst in its acute downfall, even though we managed to broaden our reach, working aside prestigious educational and civic alternatives in three slums of Caracas: Baruta, La Vega and El Calvario; well, we fell out of resources.
We only need one additional push in order to:
1. Develop film workshop Creative Sequence 7 and come full circle with our project, developed, co-designed and implemented by at risk youth in a country some consider at the verge of war.
2. Follow through initial website design and first interactive workshop platform project mock-ups, a promising idea that may well become a beautiful software application in the service of other educational projects.
3. Outline and systematize our work during this challenging years in order to share our story of hope, and our proven method in cinema, community and democracy, with educational organizations, universities and NGOs.
Please, do join us. We know we are not alone. If we make it, beyond sharing the results, we will have told to ourselves, to Venezuela, to the entire world, that if we can create new educational alternatives amidst devastation, hope is not lost, but always found. And well, that's no small thing.
Here is a sample of the shortfilms written, produced and directed by participants in our projects:
Vacío (Empty) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhBob14r4p8&feature=youtu.be
Colegio Fe y Alegría Monterrey
2018
Making Of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jDLaG929dw
Reencuentro (Reunion) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKvvWDD4TF8&feature=youtu.be
In partnership with Chamatech, La Vega
2018
Making of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnTdcoQh0G0&feature=youtu.be
Los Golpes de la Vida son Dulces Esperanzas (Life's punches are sweet hopes) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY6qj8CiUqA&feature=youtu.be
El Calvario, Municipio El Hatillo
2018
Why do we recur to a crowdfund?
Because it was part of our idea from the beginning. We knew we were in the middle of great adversity, with volunteers and part of our team leaving the country due to the crisis. We had to grow at the pace our country allowed regarding sustainability and outreach of our proposal.
Because we needed to work under principles of utmost liberty and autonomy, through small and specific alliances, as we better understood, precisely, how to shape this emergent organization, made up mostly of young Venezuelans working in at risk communities.
Because, from the beginning, we thought of doing just one test workshop. But we never imagined that we would be here, with such results, with a project that understands cinematographic creation as education in citizenship and democracy.
And all this, through innumerable and essential, yet small contributions.
That's why we are counting on you for this additional push. We must pay equipment rental, security, transportation, alimentation for our volunteers and workshop participants, as well as a small fee for our coordination and production unit, mainly composed by graduate and undergraduate students.
Venezuela is at the heart of many who have truly helped us respond to what worldwide experts call a Complex Humanitarian Emergency. In our case, every cent invested helps a driver, a technician, a youngster and his family, a university student, a volunteer, to keep the light of creation alive, strengthening community ties with a sense of purpose and humanity that will allow us, whatever the outcome, overcome this unbearable situation.
We need to make this story come full circle, a story well worth of the silver screen. That of a bunch of youth, communities and teachers that co-design a cinematographic and educational project in the worst place and moment possible in history, with the best imaginable results and their hope unharmed in their pursuit of their right to education. Not bad, and nothing more than necessary, among many other initiatives, in order to not lose our way as a society that cherishes freedom, creativity and democracy.
How will the funds arrive to our hands?
We've added Ángel Zambrano as the beneficiary to our campaign. He's an activist and director of a fellow NGO and he will be sending the donations to Venezuela to Plano Creativo's coordinator through PayPal. If you have any questions regarding this process, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email redacted].
Organizer and beneficiary
Fundación Plano Creativo
Organizer
Ángel Zambrano
Beneficiary
