Welcome to Cafe Cultura's
March 2014 newsletter! We're excited to keep in touch with you regarding our continued growth in fulfilling our mission. 

Caf� Cultura is an award-winning arts, culture, and youth development organization that promotes unity and healing among Indigenous peoples through creative expression while empowering youth to find their voice, reclaim oral and written traditions, and become leaders in their communities. 

We hope this message finds you and your family in good health and spirits.  This newsletter helps us keep you informed of our growth as an organization. Please review and support us in any way you can.  Feel free to find more updates and pictures on our Facebook (facebook.com/cafecultura), Instagram (instagram.com/cafeculturadenver), and Flickr (flickr.com/photos/cafecultura/sets) accounts.

Cafe Cultura presents
@ Denver Indian Center 
(4407 Morrison Rd) 

Spread the word...Bring your family & friends!!!!!  

 

in honor of

National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 10)

    &

National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 20)


Spoken word, music, free HIV testing, free food, vendors, door prizes, & community!
 

  

VOLUNTEERS PLEASE ARRIVE AT 4:30pm :-)  

 

Note: Make sure to come early to sign up and get a good seat.

 
WHAT: All ages Open Mic Night

WHEN: 2nd Fri. of every month (March 14th, April 11th Denver Inner City Parish/La Academia)

--->6:30pm to 9:30pm

WHERE: Denver Indian Center (4407 Morrison Rd...off of Ohio Ave & Utica St)

Come express yourself creatively or just chill with your people

$3 donation (nobody turned away)......Everyone is welcome!

March Features:
---->Radmilla Cody...Dine' (Navajo)...is a GRAMMY Nominee, multiple Native American Music Awards Nominee, international performer, a former Miss Navajo Nation, and the founder of the "Strong Spirit: Life is Beautiful not Abusive" campaign which brings awareness to teen dating violence. As a survivor of domestic violence, Radmilla uses her personal experiences to advocate throughout Native America and internationally for the importance of understanding and identifying unhealthy relationships and recognizing healthy relationships. Miss Cody is of the Tla'a'schi'i'(Red Bottom People) clan and is born for the Nahillii (African-Americans). She is the subject of an award winning documentary entitled "Hearing Radmilla", which further explores Radmilla's journey as an activist and performer. In 2010, Radmilla was selected for NPR's 50 Great Voices, a yearlong series featuring singers from all over the world. Recently, Radmilla was awarded the "Black History Makers Award 2012" from Initiative Radio and was selected as the first Native American awards presenter at the 55th GRAMMY Pre-Telecast Awards Ceremony.

Radmilla Cody - Tears Music Video
Radmilla Cody - Tears Music Video
 
--->Jessica Helen Lopez: Recently named one of 30 Poets in their 30's to watch by MUZZLE magazine, Jessica Helen Lopez is a nationally recognized award-winning slam poet, and holds the title of 2012 and 2014 Women of the World (WOW) City of ABQ Champion. She's also a member of the Macondo Foundation. Founded by Sandra Cisneros, it is an association of socially engaged writers united to advance creativity, foster generosity, and honor community. Her first collection of poetry, Always Messing With Them Boys (West End Press, 2011) made the Southwest Book of the Year reading list and was also awarded the Zia Book Award presented by NM Women Press. She is the founder of La Palabra - The Word is a Woman collective created for and by women and gender-identified women. Lopez is a Ted Talk speaker alumni. Her work has been anthologized in A Bigger Boat: The Unlikely Success of the Albuquerque Slam Scene (UNM Press), Earth Ships: A New Mecca Poetry Collection (NM Book Award Finalist), Tandem Lit Slam (San Francisco), Adobe Walls, Malpais Review, SLAB Literary Magazine and the upcoming Courage Anthology: Daring Poems for Gutsy Girls (Write Bloody Press).

in association with:
-Branching Seedz of Resistance
-Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR)
-Councilman Paul Lopez 
-Denver Indian Center
-Gilead
-LISTOS
-Multicultural Social Justice Organization (DU's Graduate School of Social Work)
-National Native American AIDS Prevention Center (NNAAPC)
-Servicios de La Raza
-Sisters of Color United for Education
-University of Denver's Graduate School of Social Work
-Warriors Organizing and Rising in Denver (WORD)
-Youth HIV Advocacy Coalition (YHAC) 

For more info: info@cafecultura.org; 720-394-6589; www.cafecultura.org/riseup

Like us on FacebookEvent Page 

Save the Date: 
June 13 @ 6:30pm at La Alma/Lincoln Park Amphitheater
 
WHAT?: The ultimate showcase of our workshop participants from all of our sites (Denver Center for International StudiesSTRIVE Prep SMART HS, KIPP Denver Collegiate HS,STRIVE Prep Excel HS, Heart & Hand, Contemporary Learning Academy, La Academia @ Denver Inner City Parish, and College Track/Summit 54).
 
Excerpt from a STRIVE Prep SMART student:

I am the cup of atole that brings family together 

and creates cherished moments.

I come from way back, 

originating from Aztec roots.

I am made on chilly nights to satiate the emptiness of a craving soul. 
The steam from the atole ghostly rises into the air 
and flows from ear to ear, 
letting the whispers of the ancestors to be heard.

Keep in mind that we will have participant showcases for each of the partner schools/organizations mostly during the month May. This will include sharing food, poetry, and community with participants' family, friends, and supporters. Cafe Cultura supporters will be invited to join us.

Make sure to read future newsletters for more updates.


In this newsletter....
-Cafe Cultura presents Rise Up-
-Intensive Xpress Yourself Spoken Word Workshop Series-
-Cafe Cultura @ CSU-
-Calendar of Events-
-Basic Xpress Yourself Spoken Word Workshops for Youth-
-Basic Xpress Yourself Spoken Word Workshop @ Cafe Cultura Office-
-Exciting Updates-
-Internships w/ Cafe Cultura!-
Cafe Cultura Logo

Join Our Mailing List!

Contact Information

Cafe Cultura
P.O. Box 11791
Denver, CO 80211

Office: 1029 Santa Fe Dr Unit #6
Hours: Mon-Thurs from 9am to 4:30pm
Fri from 1 to 4:30pm.

info@cafecultura.org

Basic Xpress Yourself Spoken Word Workshops for Youth

 Recent partners for Cafe Cultura's basic workshops: Grant Beacon Middle School & Boulder Valley Latino Youth Leadership Conference. We are confirming several more as the school year progresses.
 
If you are interested in having Cafe Cultura present at your school or organization, feel free to contact us. Our basic version is a one time, 1 to 2 hour session. We have used this highly engaging and culturally relevant workshop structure for over seven years to encourage Chicana/o and Native youth to use spoken word to give voice to our stories of love, struggle, injustice, and celebration. They serve to supplement and support Language Arts/English curriculum. Workshop structure was designed by a spoken word artist with 4 years experience teaching at the middle and high school level with contributions from other poets and youth advocates. Click here for a detailed information sheet.
 
We're extremely excited to share a promotion video for these workshops (edited by Derek Brown...Chair, Cafe Cultura's Board of Directors).
Cafe Cultura's Xpress Yourself: Hip Hop, Poetry, & Spoken Word workshops
Cafe Cultura's Xpress Yourself: Hip Hop, Poetry, & Spoken Word workshops
 
As you step inside this workshop, you will learn how to express your thoughts and feelings through hip hop, poetry, and spoken word. We are extremely excited to provide you the space and time to give voice to your stories of love, struggle, injustice, and celebration. With our words, we can represent our culture(s) and tradition(s) as we strengthen our minds.

WHEN: Saturdays in 2014 (January 18, February 22, March 22, April 19, May 17, June 21, July 19, August 16, September 20, October 18, November 15, December 20) 
 
TIME: 11:00 to 12:30pm

WHERE: Cafe Cultura Office (1029 Santa Fe Dr)

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 
 
Questions: 720-394-6589; info@cafecultura.org

Exciting Updates

Thank you to everyone who joined us for another inspiring open mic in February brought to you by Cafe Cultura (close to 200 people in attendance). Special shout out to 1) those who were brave enough to get on the mic 2) our features 
 
-Fundraising @ Colfax Marathon
So far, we have 6 six people committed to running the half-marathon on behalf of Cafe Cultura (Kās� GarciaMariela Sagastume, Dolores Quintana, Joe Deras Espinoza, Ramona Beltran, & Ara Cruz), 1 doing the full-marathon (Boni Sanchez), and another doing the 10 miler (Eden Nicole). If you would like to join us in promoting healthy living while fundraising for our organization, let us know.
 
  
(photo from last year's Colfax Marathon)
 
-We were honored to have been selected for the 2013 Mayor's Award for Excellence in Arts & Culture (Youth Arts). Here is the video they produced for us: 
2013 Denver Mayor's Awards for Excellence in Arts and Culture - Youth Arts Award: Caf?? Cultura
2013 Denver Mayor's Awards for Excellence in Arts and Culture - Youth Arts Award: Cafe Cultura
 
-Performances/shows from Cafe Cultura Collective members: If you want us to host an open mic featuring our spoken word artists, contact us ASAP. Funds will go to sustaining our organization and the work we do in the community (especially our workshops for youth).
 
-Feel free to visit our website
often for updates (click on the image).
Internships w/ Cafe Cultura!

  

If you are interested in helping build our organization while gaining valuable experience and making connections in the community, below are the unpaid internship positions we hope to fill ASAP.

 

Development Intern: provide assistance in organizing activities that will lead to the growth and development of our organization. This includes being involved with implementation of strategic plan, fundraising, and engaging Board of Directors. 

Click Here for Development Intern Job Description

 

Communications Intern: help in coordinating effective and efficient communication within the organization as well as with the community. In addition to internal communications, this person will focus on promotion and documentation of our programs. 

Click Here for Communications Intern Job Description 

 

Programs Intern: be actively involved in planning and carrying out programs including events, workshops, and our youth leadership program.

Click Here for Programs Intern Job Description