COMING ACTIVITIES


On behalf of the South Carolina Hispanic Leadership Council, we would like to invite you to attend our 6th Annual Hispanic Heritage Month Luncheon –Facing Challenges, Generating Opportunities. This celebration will be held on Friday, October 17, 2008, from 11:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Capital City Club. Our panelists will be: Dr. Elaine Lacy, Dr. Doug Woodward and Attorney Tammy Besherse, Esq.

With your support, our organization will continue to be engaged in a variety of activities that enhances the quality of life and services delivered to the Hispanic Community in South Carolina. Some of our major achievements during the last year include:

• Continued providing activities for REACH Youth Project (Role models Encouraging Academics and Challenging Hispanics) that include awarding a total of $4,000 in scholarships to Latino college freshmen.
• Collaborated with several agencies all across the state to promote artistic creation in the Hispanic community through initiatives such as the Third Amateur Latin Poetry Contest, the PhotoStory Project and The Escuincles Project’s Traveling Art Display.
• Provided funding for local organizations working on behalf of the Hispanic community including Appleseed Legal Justice, Rural Crossroads Institute GED Program, and the Christmas’s Angels Initiative.
• Advocated for the Hispanic community in SC on issues regarding policy making and availability of quality services.

In order to continue on this active and successful path, our organization and community needs your support. This year’s luncheon also features the winners of the Third Latin Poetry Contest and the eight recipients of the REACH Youth Scholarship.

Individual seats are $35. Write to us for sponsorship opportunities.

RECAP

Date: Friday, October 17, 2008

Place: The Capital City Club

Time: 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM

Panelists: Dr. Doug Woodward, Dr. Elaine Lady, Tammy Becherse, Esq.


The Escuincles arrive to Spartanburg!

Escuincles Project Art Exhibit displayed at Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg SC

The Escuincles Project (pronounced "skwink les") Art Display will be hosted from August 19 until September 11 at the Chapman Cultural Center, located at 200 East St. John Street, Spartanburg, SC. The Chapman Cultural Center, owned and operated by The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, is the community's preeminent common ground where the people of Spartanburg County and its visitors come together to discover, experience, and celebrate the performing and visual arts, science and history.

"The exhibit has been traveling all around South Carolina for the last six months" said Ivan Segura, Coordinator for the Escuincles Project "we continue fulfilling our goal to provide communities all across the state with the opportunity to experience these artistic pieces produced by local Latino artist, and to learn about the Latino culture values; its similarities and differences with the Anglo culture. The Chapman Cultural Center is definitely one of the finest venues where this exhibit has been hosted. For everyone involved in the Escuincles Project, it is an honor to have this gallery available for our exhibition"

The Escuincles Project is a collaborative effort of local amateur and professional Hispanic artists to foster an appreciation of the experience, culture, and struggles of Latino childhood. The Escuincles Project includes twelve artists from all over Latin America and from many disciplines. The list includes: Marcelo Novo, 40, Painter, Argentina; Alejandro Garcia-Lemos, 36, Painter, Colombia; Manuel Gaetan, Photographer, Puerto Rico; Ivan Segura, 33, Poet/Writer, Mexico; Alicia Ballagh, 35, Painter, Ecuador; Maria Bravo-Carrillo, 23, Poet, Mexico;; Charlee Buitrago, 25, Musician, Venezuela; Max Mejia, 25, Pine Straw Basket Weaver, Mexico; Santiago Sandi Ureña, 30, Poet, Costa Rica; Nelsire Ramos, 24, Play Writer, Venezuela; Christian Guerrero, 32, Painter, Chile; and Maria Guadalupe Sierra, 9, Poet, Mexico;

The Escuincles Project is an initiative of the SC Hispanic Leadership Council and is supported by the SC Arts Commission, The National Endowment for the Arts, and the John and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of SC.

For more information on the Escuincles Prohect, please visit: http://escuincles.awardspace.com

Third Amateur
Latin Poetry Contest



Contest Criteria:


•The participants must be Latino, amateur writers, and live in the state of South Carolina.
•There are two categories: Adults and under sixteen.
•All styles, forms and themes are acceptable.
•The poems are limited to two pages.
•The poems should be original and not previously published.
•It can be written by hand or typed.
•The poets may write poems in English, Spanish or Portuguese.
•Submit every poem on a separate paper.
•Please do not include your name on the poem. Your personal information should be written on a separate piece of paper.

Send a separate piece of paper with the following information:
•Name
•Address
•Telephone number
•E-mail address
•Age
•How did you find out about the contest

The deadline is May 31, 2008

Please mail the poems to:
-Poetry Contest- SCHLC
P.O. Box 7013 Columbia, SC 29202
Or e-mail: concursodepoesia@gmail.com
For more information please visit our website:
http://www.schlc.org

Prizes:

First Place: $100.00
Second Place: $50.00
Third Place: $25.00





First Annual Celebration of Latino Children’s Literature Conference
    The University of South Carolina’s School of Library & Information Science and College of Education invite individuals interested in the educational and literacy needs of Latino children to attend our First Annual Celebration of Latino Children’s Literature Conference to be held onSaturday April 26th, 2008 at the Russell House Student Union on the University of South Carolina campus from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. This inaugural event is designed to prepare future and practicing educators, teachers, and librarians for the exciting opportunities to work with Latino children and adolescents.

    Speakers will include award-winning Latina authors Yuyi Morales, Lucía M. Gonzaléz, and Irania Patterson. A key note address will be delivered by Dr. Kathy Short from the University of Arizona’s Department of Language, Reading, and Culture. Breakout sessions cover topics related to Latino children’s literature, educating Latino children, and developing library programs for Latino youth and their families.

A free storytelling and community program

    On the evening of April 25th, a free storytelling and community program will be held at the Lexington Main Library in Lexington, SC from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m in honor of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day). This event, An Evening of Cuentos with Yuyi Morales, features the award-winning children’s book author/illustrator reading from her exciting picture books, telling magical stories, and performing an unforgettable puppet show. Refreshments will be served and all children attending will receive a special surprise from Yuyi.

    For more information on the Latino Children’s Literature Conference or the free Storytelling event, please consult the conference website: http://www.libsci.sc.edu/latinoconf/index.htm

For additional information contact Dr. Jamie Naidoo
University of South Carolina
(803) 777-0090
jnaidoo@gwm.sc.edu



UNIQUE ART PROJECT BRINGS TOGETHER SEVERAL
LATINO LOCAL ARTIST TO CREATE A COLLABORATIVE STORY


THE PHOTOSTORY PROJECT now includes the participation of Marcelo Novo, who joins a selected group of professional and amateur Hispanic artist who are part of this new and unique art project. The PhotoStory Project is an initiative of local Latino artist that aims to create a story told by a series of alternating visual and literary submissions. Our goal is to bring SC Latino artists together for a common artistic venture in order to bridge Hispanic artistry with the American culture.

"We have received requests in the past from local Latino artist interested in participating in our collective efforts. This project promotes the participation of new artist because they can join the project as the weeks pass by" Said Diana Blandon, Coordinator for the PhotoStory Project "We want all Latino artists to know that they have the opportunity to join the list and help us produce one big PhotoStory told by everyone"

How does the initiative work? To initiate the project, the first participant (a visual artist) sends in a picture that is both inspiring and interesting. Then, the second participant (a writer) creates a piece of literature (poem, short story) inspired on the visual submission
presented by the first participant. Then, a third participant (a visual artist again) comes, and inspired by those two previous submissions, submits a photo to continue the story that has already been initiated.

The fourth participant will be a writer again. The project will continue this way -alternating visual and literature artists- until the whole story is created (there will be 20 participants -the number of countries in Latin America)

PhotoStory Project was initiated with the submission of a picture By Diana Blandon (Graphic Artist, Colombia.) This picture inspired the next participant: Ivan Segura (Writer, Mexico) who sent in the first fragment of the story. The renowned artist Marcelo Novo (Painter, Argentina) is the third artist to participate. He submitted a pencil drawing called "Water Kiss" that continues the story inspired by Diana's Picture and Ivan's writing. "We are, once again, honored to have Marcelo Novo involved in one of our projects. His participation always encourages more individuals to join our artistic endeavors" said Diana Blandon "Our main goal is to bridge Hispanic artistry to the American culture. We want the art from Hispanic artist to be experienced by the community at large."

The list of Hispanic artist participating already includes: Diana Blandon (Graphic Designer, Colombia), Ivan Segura (Writer, Mexico), Marcelo Novo (Painter, Argentina), Lad Santiago (Writer, Puerto Rico), Cristian Diaz (Pencil Sketcher, Uruguay), Itsia Astudillo (Writer/Journalist, Venezuela), Manuel Gaetan (Photographer, Puerto Rico), Santiago Sandi-Ureña (Poet, Costa Rica), Alexis Acosta Figueroa (Digital Animation Specialist, Puerto Rico), and Tatiana Diaz (Poet, Uruguay) Furthermore, the project is still looking for more Latino artist to participate. The guidelines for the project are quite simple:

•All materials submitted must be original and never before
published.
•Participants understand and agree to follow and continue the story
that has been told before their participation.
•Visual Artist can submit only one piece (i.e. One photograph, one
painting, one sketch, etc)
•Writers can submit a piece of literature (Short story, poem, etc)
no longer than 750 words.
•All participants have only one week to complete their assignment
and present it to be published on the PhotoStory website.

For more information about the PhotoStory Project, please visit our website: http://photostory.awardspace.com  where you can experience the art creations already submitted and learn more about the participating
artist.

                 

REACH Youth Project (Role Models Encouraging Academics and Challenging Hispanics) addresses the immediate needs of the at-risk , Hispanic youth (6th—12th grade) in the school system, providing them with the following tools to become successful citizens of this state and future leaders of this country:

Hispanic Mentor/Speaker Series
REACH Youth Project Scholarship
Hispanic Youth Leadership Club

By inspiring, enabling, and mentoring individuals from disadvantaged economic, social, and family circumstances, we are building a better environment and society for everyone.

To participate in this program you can become a speaker for our Hispanic Mentor/Speaker Series. You can also get involved with the process to deliver the REACH Youth Project Scholarship –At this very moment the REACH Youth Project has an open scholarship competition.

 

An initiative of the South Carolina Hispanic Leadership Council, the Escuincles Project is a collaborative effort of amateur and professional Hispanic artists to foster an appreciation of the experience, culture, and struggles of Latino childhood. The artists, including poets, writers, photographers, sketch artists, musicians and painters interpret their childhood memories in their specific art form.

Why is it called Escuincles?

The term Escuincles (pronounced "skwink les") is used in Mexico and some parts of Central America as a slang word for kids.

How does the initiative work?

The Escuincles project has been designed as a "Creative Circle," which means each participant will have the opportunity to be an Escuincle and a Hispanic Artist in this initiative.

To better understand how the initiative works, we will begin by explaining the two main performers in the project: the Escuincle and the Hispanic Artist. The Escuincle will be the person who is sharing his/her rich Hispanic childhood experience/story; the Hispanic Artist will be the person who will listen to this childhood experience/story and will be inspired to create a piece in his/her specific art form.

This initiative is a collaborative effort of local Latino to foster an appreciation of the experience, culture, and struggles of Latino childhood. We aim to increase the awareness about the Latino culture values; its similarities and differences with the Anglo culture. We believe that by sharing our experiences we can find a common ground for a better understanding in social matters.

Who are the selected Hispanic artists?

The list includes:

Marcelo Novo, 40, Painter, Argentina
Marcelo was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His art has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums throughout the United States and abroad.

Manuel Gaetan, 70, Photographer, Puerto Rico. Mr. Gaetan is the President and CEO of MGR Enterprises, Inc. He has over 40 years experience in photography, both as a professional with his own studio and as a photojournalist.

Santiago Sandi Ureña, 30, Poet, Costa Rica
Guillermo was the 1st-prize winner of the First Amateur Latin Poetry Contest and has participated in several collaborative displays in Clemson in the areas of writing and photography.

Maria Guadalupe Sierra, 8, Poet, Guatemala
Maria was the 1st-prize winner –under 16 category- of the First Amateur Latin Poetry Contest. She has demonstrated a remarkable ability to express her ideas in writing despite her short age.

Ivan Segura, 32, Writer, Mexico. Ivan was born in Aguascalientes, Mexico. He has been involved in promoting artistic creation in the Hispanic community through initiatives such as: Expresiones Project, Latin Poetry Inititative and Escuincles Project.

Maximiliano Mejias, 25, Pine Straw Basket Weaver, Mexico. Born in Loma Bonita, Oaxaca, Mexico, Max has a special gift for basket weaving. His creations are sold at shops in Charleston and around South Carolina.

Alejandro Garcia-Lemos, 38, Painter, Colombia. He confines his work to painting, employing acrylic and oil on canvas, wood, and cardboard. His primary interest is representing the human figure as object, and furthermore as a subject resulting from itself, and from its own past.

Charlie Huitrago, 28, Musician, Venezuela. Charlie is the lead singer and composer of Char-Leés, an all-Latino SC rock band. He lives in Greenville, SC and works as a DJ for a local radio station.

Maria Felix Bravo-Carrillo, 23, Poet, Mexico
Maria was born in Nayarit, Mexico. She has actively participated in designing programs to empower Hispanic youth in SC such as: Expresiones Project and REACH Youth Project.

Nelsire Ramos, 25, Play Writer, Venezuela
She attended the Central University of Venezuela following studies in Medicine and Arts. Her artistic ways of expression have included music, painting and acting.

Alicia Ballagh, 30, Painter, Ecuador. Alicia works as a Case Manager for the Youth WIA Program. She has participated in several group exhibitions including Inspirarte 2003.

Christian Guerrero, 32, Painter, Chile.
Christian studied Graphic design in Chile. His paintings are his inner desire to express his feelings through vibrant colors and forms.

Viva-Voz, a Latino poetry reading initiative, is an opportunity for poets and writers to share their poetry with the community. The list of poets includes published poets and writers, amateur individuals, and the winners and participants of the First Amateur Latin Poetry Contest. By providing venues for sharing poetry and writing, we are increasing cultural awareness with Hispanics and encouraging creative diversity.

You can participate as one of the featured poets, or if you are a writer you can read a short story! The idea is to promote all literary creation in the Hispanic community. Our first Viva-Voz, Latino poetry reading, is scheduled to be held on the second week of March 2007. We are planning to have 3 Viva-Voz; Columbia, Charleston, and Greenville. 

Partner Agencies

The SCHLC has and will continue to support the activities of local agencies and organizations that provide services to empower the Hispanic community in SC. The SCHLC is proud to support the activities of these two local program/organizations.

L.E.E.R. Family Outreach

L.E.E.R. Family Outreach is a non-profit organization that serves Latino families and their children with an on going after school program and an annual scholarship competition.

In the past, L.E.E.R. Family Outreach has awarded over $5,000 in scholarship monies to Latino girls in Columbia. This year the organization is opening the scholarship competition up to high school boys and girls, and will be awarding scholarships in the areas of academics, athletics, arts, and community service.

L.E.E.R. Family Outreach is currently accepting applicants and sponsorships for its 2007 competition.

The Parenting Program of Lexington School District One

The Parenting Program of Lexington School District One serves Spanish-speaking families with children ages birth to 5 years. Services include: Home visitation program providing toys and bi-lingual books for the families to keep.

• Spanish Monthly newsletter with child development information, calendar of Parent-Child activities and a section that is written by families involved in the program that features stories, poems, recipes and art work.

• Community celebrations with program partners, The Lexington County Public Library, ETV and Tock Knock Books. Events include Pascua, Día do los Muertos and Feliz Navidad.

• Lending Library of Spanish, English and bi-lingual books, tapes, CD's and videos

If you are interesting in helping us to empower the Hispanic community and would like to receive further details about the opportunities presented here, please contact Ivan Segura, SCHLC's President at presidentschlc@gmail.com or at 803.606.1164.