January 2019 Live It Fund Recipients
Expressions of Diaspora
Shireen Zaineb ’20
Expressions of Diaspora is a photo project that attempts to highlight the presence and importance of Pakistanis to the United Arab Emirates’ infrastructure, economy, and general society. Over J-term, I interviewed Pakistani individuals and families around Abu Dhabi about their perceptions of home and community, conducting a photo project that captures different elements of Pakistani tradition and culture within the UAE. I also paired up with NYU Abu Dhabi’s Akkasah Center for Photography and helped initiate an archival collection on Pakistani communities across Abu Dhabi.
Immigrant Voices
Sebastian Ramirez Morera ’19
My project seeks to show the stories of the different immigrant communities in Costa Rica and their experiences as immigrants there. This will be accomplish by conducting interviews and using the photo voice methodology. As final project I expect to create a photography exhibition in which I will showcase the photographs taken by the people participating in my project as well as my own photographs and the stories of the things they believe is important to showcase.
Nuestra Paz
Diana Paz Garcia ’21
Nuestra Paz is a project that works to integrate young people in the Mexican peace process. Through a survey we collect youth’s perception of the general violence situation in Mexico City, and what they imagine peace would look like in their communities. Based on their responses we will develop local solutions.
Para Chuparse Los Dedos
Gianna Brassil ’20 and Susanna Morales ’20
Para Chuparse Los Dedos is a project based in San Francisco that connects food with Central American identity and storytelling. During this J-term Gianna Brassil and I held conversations with Central Americans of various generations in the Bay Area on their relationship with food and their identity as a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation immigrant. In addition to the interviews, we also cooked traditional dishes with people. We hope to continue this project over the summer by creating a storytelling cookbook and also create a series of cooking workshops.
Sewing Corner
Malini Basu ’21
My project aims to bring sewing literacy to the Suchana community centre in Uttar Chandipur (India). I plan to create a system in the centre to facilitate access to the sewing machines that I will bring. In addition to sewing machines, I will provide workshops and instruction booklets in Bengali for the centre’s attendees – mainly children between the ages of 3-18.
The Baidarka Project
Vincent Mougin ’20
The Baidarka Project will follow the building of an Aleutian skin-on-frame kayak in Macalester College’s workshop through photos and short videos, then a long kayak trip in Alaska to show the environmental degradation in Prince William Sound due to climate change and celebrate the enduring beauty of the region. The aim of this project is to reflect on and communicate the process of finding one’s place in a world that is rapidly changing. Drawing parallels with the Aleutian tradition of entering adulthood by building one’s own craft, this project tells a story of coming of age in a rapidly changing world that will hopefully inspire others to reflect on their relationship to the environment.
After the Fall of Cabrini Green
Micheala Sharp ’19
After the Fall: Cabrini Green will be a short podcast season about people who used to live in the notorious housing project called Cabrini Green just outside of Chicago’s downtown. I will be interview friends, family, and associates to ask them how they feel after the neighborhood was demolished and then gentrified. I will publish the podcast on Soundcloud and Apple Podcast, create a social media campaign, website, and short video to spread this unique and undercovered narrative.
Dia
Ny Ony Razafindrabe ’20
DIA is a pilot project aimed at identifying necessary tools, resources and programs to support the personal and professional development of disadvantaged young people. I worked in close collaboration with Graines de Bitume – a humanitarian organisation whose goal is to offer children living on the streets of Madagascar’s capital city Antananarivo the chance of a better future by giving them access to education and vocational training. Driven by the awareness that current orientation tools (magazines, tests, etc) are not tailored to the children’s particular needs, we identified areas of potential improvement and how to address them.
Orenda
Zachary Jordan ’20
Orenda is a thorough and accessible suite of mental health and life-tracking services. It offers powerful therapies and meditation techniques to be used by therapists, patients, and anyone who wishes to improve their life and organizational skills through mindfulness. The service is built from the ground up to be available everywhere, all the time — all your favorite settings and preferences sync seamlessly across your computer, tablet, and phone.
Hadithi Hadithi
Peresian Melisa Letayian ’20
Hadithi Hadithi is a pilot project that engaged primary school students, teachers and parents on ways to increase academic outcomes in rural Kajiado, Kenya. It was aimed at understanding ways to bridge the language learning gap where English, used in education, is learnt as a third language for many. Through home visits during the holiday and workshops at school, I explored how students supplement scholarly work and explore creativity. I set up a mobile library Books in a Bucket in one of the schools with the hope of encouraging a reading culture. I hope to create a physical hub in the future to create a social space to further foster creative and innovative thinking.