For Immediate Release - Contact: Myrna Martinez Nateras, AFSC, 559-222-7678, MNateras@afsc.org
FRESNO, CA (January 15, 2020) The American Friends Service Committee Pan Valley Institute (AFSC-PVI), in partnership with Fresno State’s College of Arts and Humanities and Department of Theatre and Dance, are launching a new fellowship for Latinx and Indigenous youth (ages 18 – 29). The “Artevism” fellows will use the arts to create provocative programming that advocates for the change they want to see in the world.
Please click for the call for nominations and the nominations form. Nominations must be submitted by February 7, 2020.
“The ArteVism Fellowship Program project seeks to empower and foster civic engagement and community building through artistic expression among Latinx/Indigenous youth in the Central Valley,” explains Myrna Martinez Nateras, who serves as program director for AFSC-PVI. “By recognizing, celebrating, and activating Latinx and Indigenous youth through the arts, they can challenge the systems of fear and oppression that plague them.”
The Fellowship will bring together a cadre of four fellows to produce original theatre pieces, which will deepen civic participation in Central Valley communities. Through a series of residential gatherings and intensive trainings, fellows will be immersed in creative skill building, popular education, and community theatre.
“It is especially important for young people to be politically engaged in these times of elections dominated by a divisive political climate,” said Nateras. “Youth have the power to creatively intervene in dysfunctional political systems. This cultural work can challenge the histories of invisibility, marginalization, and social inequity that exist in the Central Valley.”
Aspiring candidates are nominated by partners of the Pan Valley Institute and the College of Arts and Humanities at CSU Fresno who share the core principles and goals of the program. Finalist Fellows will be selected by the end of February 2020. The deadline to submit nominations is February 7, 2020
People interested in nominating a candidate can contact Minerva Mendoza, PVI Program Associate by email at mmendoza@afsc.org, or by phone at (559) 222-7678.
Please click for the call for nominations and the nominations form. Nominations must be submitted by February 7, 2020.
# # #
The American Friends Service Committee is a Quaker organization that promotes lasting peace with justice, as a practical expression of faith in action. Drawing on continuing spiritual insights and working with people of many backgrounds, we nurture the seeds of change and respect for human life that transform social systems.