Stephanie Stoker, Youth community development facilitator, Peru
Volunteer Stephanie Stoker used creativity to help paint a brighter picture for the youth of Iquitos, Peru. The visual artist, who has extensive experience in theatre and arts education, embraced art to help young adults develop life skills and get involved in the future development of their community.
“I want to help youth know that they can have dreams,” says Stephanie Stoker of St. John’s, Newfoundland, a visual artist with over ten years experience in theatre and arts education. She is volunteering with CUSO-VSO in Iquitos, a city carved out of the verdant Peruvian jungle. To get there, you must travel by plane or by boat up wild, ambling rivers.
Since she arrived, Stephanie has worked with youth in El Porvenir, one of the city’s barrios. In collaboration with the local development organization Asociación Kallpa, the 32-year-old uses art and theatre to help young adults develop life skills and get involved in the betterment of their community. Her workshop topics have included life planning, sexual health and the environment. To explore these issues, the youth have embraced performance, filmmaking and painting.
Youth ready for change
Over a third of the 700 people in the community are between the ages of 12 and 24, and many are grappling with issues of poverty and limited education. “But they’re ready for change. They want healthy communities. They want a healthy future.”
Iquitos is the largest city in Peru’s slice of the Amazon rainforest, its asphalt streets running counter to the ever-present Amazon River. The contrast between the lush jungle and the built colonial environment parallels the economic contrast of the modern city. The urban Iquiteño culture differs dramatically from the rural ribereño and indigenous cultures. “Iquitos is a gem,” says Stephanie, “filled with unique ceramics, textiles, and elegant old buildings. Yet, on the outskirts, poverty is rampant. People eke out a living in any way they can. Running water, sewage and electricity are luxuries in many barrios.”
A creative development
Through cultural workshops, art and theatre productions, Stephanie and the Asociación Kallpa are working with youth to raise awareness of their community’s needs while fostering leadership in environmental awareness.
One recent project picked up on the messy problem of garbage – there was no collection in El Porvenir. The youth united with the community planning committee and succeeded in arranging garbage collection in the barrio. They also put 10 large and beautifully painted garbage cans on the street, aiming to end the tradition of throwing trash on the ground.
“Now,” reports Stephanie, “it isn’t a rare site to see young children, youth and parents taking time to sweep up the street and deposit the garbage into cans. There are even bags for garbage to be found hanging in trees where people don’t have a trash can handy. But if you cross the thin line where another barrio starts, it would seem that the road was paved with trash.”
While this clean-up project does improve individual and broader communal health – both important ends in themselves – it is also about youth empowerment and civic spirit. In short, it is about possibility.
Art of the possible
From small projects, like painting public murals and beautifying the neighbourhood, to bigger ones, like the creation of a community centre and health education workshops, the kids involved take pride in their accomplishments. “They learn to aspire to great things,” says Stephanie. Some want to become advocates for their community…others dream big, despite their impoverished upbringing.”
“There’s one girl who has been involved for six months now. Her family is poor. They have no electricity. And she tells me she wants to be a doctor.”
That pride is leading the way in the construction of a cultural centre. “It will be a two-story building with space for workshops, dances, what have you. There will also be a library and an area for studying and doing homework. It will be used by youth and adults.”
“Every day people thank us… not for doing the work for them, but for giving them the opportunity to work themselves. But it goes both ways I’m incredibly grateful for the chance to share my skills here and to learn.”
Story update: Stephy Stoker has returned from her placement in Peru and is living in Newfoundland and Labrador.
