Hello, hello from El Salvador! Our team will be here for the next few weeks working with youth, Catholic Sisters, and several community centers to make our youth innovation labs a reality.
As a part of the Color Movement, the labs exist to be spaces for creativity and innovation, where youth can come not only to explore and discover, but also to simply be. These are safe places in neighborhoods struggling with gang violence. They’re versatile spots, too, with a little something for everyone.
Our team, the communities, and the Human Centered Design team at LERO studio have been working on building these spaces for weeks now, and we wanted to come in and help them with some of the final touches to get these spaces ready for use.
We kicked things off in a community called Apopa! First, we started by installing some lights. Even though there were plenty of light sockets in the lab, there were only a few that worked. They were even relying on a partially broken light that was—quite literally—taped and tied back together.
For a quick fix, we got them matching lights for each socket, plus some spare bulbs to keep things bright for some time. But that’s not all! We realized that when the sun goes down, they’re often forced to stop playing out on the sports courts. So, we added a few external lights, too, to keep soccer games going well into the evenings!
If you’d like to support doing the doable and making change each and every day, make a donation to fund Changemakers 365.
Meet Sam!
Sam developed an interest in forced displacement, food insecurity, and identity while working on her master’s degree. She’s now using this knowledge to support Changemakers 365 across our country programs. When she’s not off on a work trip, she’s busy fermenting beverages, training for half marathons, or listening to podcasts at her home in Minneapolis.
