Welcome to Cafe Cultura's
April 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's Open Mic w/ spoken word, food, art, vendors, & community!

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

   

VOLUNTEERS PLEASE ARRIVE AT 6pm :-)  

 

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...April 11th, May 9th...June 13th (@ La Alma/Lincoln Park Amphitheater)

--->Doors open w/ Vendors & Live Art @ 7pm
--->Show starts @ 7:45pm

WHERE: Denver Inner City Parish/La Academia (9th Ave & Galapago St)

Come express yourself creatively or just chill with your people

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


April Features:
 
---->Panama Soweto: Co-founder of Slam Nuba and touring performance writer, Panama Soweto brings a personal brand of writing to the stage. Literary bloggers have called his work, "transformative," and "inspiring." His work has been featured on National Public Radio (NPR), Upworthy.com, The HuffingtonPost.com, and local publications 303 Magazine and The Urban Spectrum. His poem, "Scott" is taught in over 100 different schools in North America, and a half a dozen nations across the globe as an introduction to slam poetry. Panama is a signed artist to Soul City Studios. He is a three time host of Denver's DMC regional DJ championship, three time host of Hip Hop Congress annual B-Boy Jam in the Park and has performed with such artists as Rakim, Pete Rock, The Last Poets, and the late Gil-Scott Heron.
Panama Soweto - I'm taking my ball and going home (Scott)
Panama Soweto - I'm taking my ball and going home (Scott)

--->Diego FlorezMy mission is positivity. I'm just a kid trying to make it by the standards I was given.

----->Live Art from Jose Mares
 
----->Community Feature: Journey Through Our Heritage is a program designed to create a kalpulli (community) which empowers MSU Denver students to become exceptionally accomplished mentors, focused on developing culturally efficient high school students through a yearlong endeavor. Journey Through Our Heritage concentrates on bringing Denver and the Metro area high school students together, by participating in an academic competition that explores the distinct features of American Indian, Xikana/o, Mexicana/o, Mexican-American, Red Bone, African/African American, and Chicana/o studies. Along with culturally relevant curriculum, college level essay and jeopardy style competitions are scheduled to confirm the intense and beneficial educational experience received by students through the Journey program.


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

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).
  
Photo from Radmilla Cody's guest presentation for participants at Denver Center for International Studies:
 
 
Excerpt from a STRIVE Prep SMART student:

Tell me

the many years of history

how we rose from the

ashes of the ruined city

how we put a cast on our

broken heart,

wanting it to eventually heal.
...

Read me

like a history book made from

OUR side,

not the many years of

lies.

Build up.

I can be what I want to be,

not what you want to see.


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.


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

In this newsletter....
-Cafe Cultura's April Open Mic-
-Intensive Xpress Yourself Spoken Word Workshop Series-
-Calendar of Events-
-Internships w/ Cafe Cultura!-
-Basic Xpress Yourself Spoken Word Workshops for Youth-
-Basic Xpress Yourself Spoken Word Workshop @ Cafe Cultura Office-
-Exciting Updates-
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

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

Another year...another amazing Rise Up 2014! Thank you to everyone who attended and shared in the positive and empowering energy. Shout out to those who got tested (HIV, STI, Hepatitis C). We are especially thankful to the various organizations and sponsors who dedicated time and energy to making it a success. Special shout out to our features Jessica Helen Lopez and Radmilla Cody for blessing us with your words. Below are a few photos for those who couldn't attend (visit our flickr set for more).




 
-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).