Balboa Park Partnership
Summer 2022
About the Program
The Balboa Cultural Partnership is a collaborative effort to reimagine Balboa Park as a diverse cultural space reflecting the diverse experience of San Diegans. We are partnered with Open Box, Mr. Pro-Fun, and Rios to expand urban planning in a Cultural District at Balboa Park. The goal of this partnership is to create a sustainable cultural district that will be a welcoming space to the larger San Diego community, instead of just a place for tourism. The AjA project will work with a youth cohort to expand their leadership skills by surveying their community and utilizing the information they gather as inspiration for a welcoming environment in Balboa Park. These students will be gathering information about people's connection with their community and what obstacles make it difficult for people to access Balboa Park. Our goal is to empower youth to reflect on the communities they come from and create a media presentation that highlights their lived experiences.
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Participants will be chosen from students in AjA Project's summer and spring programs (Speak San Diego Youth Media, Counter Surveillance and Compass) to conduct independent field research in their neighborhoods.
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In-person meetings at the AjA Project building in City Heights.
The program begins August 5, 2022 from 2-5pm, and ends on September 2, 2022.
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Participants must attend all 6 workshops and present their findings to Balboa Park Cultural Partnership stakeholders.
Interest in and commitment to collecting field research in their neighborhoods.
Program Activities
What to Expect
The goal of the program is to make Balboa Park more welcoming and accessible, so the AjA Project is inviting young people to conduct field research within their neighborhoods and peer groups to help define what "welcoming" and "accessible" might mean. Researchers will investigate questions like what signals demonstrate welcome in a cultural space, and what limits access to and around the Cultural District. Research collected will be used to facilitate a workshop for Balboa Cultural Partnership and Open Box, so that community input is reflected in the final plans of Balboa Park.
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Participants will meet every Friday afternoon. All dates are tentative, and subject to change. Most activities will take place at the AjA Project building in City Heights.
Friday, August 5, 2-5 PM: Project intro & Activity 1
Friday, August 12, 2-5 PM: Activity 2
Friday, August 19, 2-5 PM: Activity 3
Friday, August 26, 2-5 PM: Field Trip with Open Box
Wednesday, August 24 or Thursday August 25, Time TBD: Presentation to stakeholders
Friday, September 2, 2-3 PM: Preparation for workshop, and 3-5 PM Workshop with Open Box at the AJA Project building
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Chosen participants will receive a $700 stipend and a $300 budget for travel and food.
Topics Covered
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Archiving and Documentation
We’ll discuss the power of documentation for survival, advocacy and protest across a variety of forms.
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Activism
Learn the basics of creating a story arc and strategies for DIY media making.
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Youth Organizing
Build your skills with a cohort of young artists ready to move audiences toward action through documentation and media making.
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Professional Development
Participants will learn from creative mentors doing work in their community.
Meet Your Teaching Artist
Every Teaching Artist at the AjA Project brings their own creative processes and personal pedagogy to the classroom.
