Feed 40 Children in Puerto Rico Art Program

Dear donors, 

Thank you for the support of the twelfth edition of Patio Taller en Verano (June 8–19, 2026), a hands-on summer program dedicated to promoting social change through the arts, culture, and the environment for youth ages 6–16.

This twelve edition reaffirmed the importance of continuing to imagine and create cultural spaces that respond to the needs of the community. Children and Youth came together to learn, explore and develop critical thinking in a compassionate environment—skills that, we believed,  will help them face the social challenges we are experiencing. We believe in access to the arts as a way to live with dignity and humanity in these unprecedented times.  

Thanks to your support, we were able to provide culturally appropriate meals that fed 45 children. Food is fundamental in our community: it helps us celebrate our culture, reaffirm our sense of place, and nourish our spirit, mind, and body. Participants have once again thoroughly enjoyed our menú. Honestly, one of the biggest challenges in coordinating this program is finding the perfect balance to create a menu that, while celebrating our cultural identity amidst U.S. colonialism (80% of food in Puerto Rico is imported), educates our children and youth about the importance of a healthy eating.  We believe in food sovereignty, and with your support, we can continue to practice it. 

For this twelfth edition, we collaborated with Caribana Coop, a popular education organization  that helped us refine our methodologies: Nonviolent Communication and Democratic education. Our program was a tribute to community empowerment: ceramics, sign language, theater, music improvisation, gardening, botanical illustrations, hip hop, kokobalé, sculpture, photography, drawing, mural and much more. 

Please join me in celebrating our summer program; your donation made it possible. 

Warmly