AjA
© Madina / The AjA Project
Founded in 2000, AjA is an acronym for the phrase, “Autosuficiencia Juntada con Apoyo” (supporting self-sufficiency). The AjA Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to working with marginalized youth in San Diego, California and internally displaced youth in Colombia and Thailand. The San Diego-based organization is committed to providing long-term support to program participants.
The AjA Project believes students possess the skills and tools for success and self- sufficiency. Leading with an individual and unique creative spirit, AjA has provided community-based participatory programming for over 1,000 displaced youth.
Utilizing participatory photography methods, AjA’s after-school and in-school programs transform the lives of displaced and at-risk youth. In July of 2002, AjA launched Journey, a photography-based after-school program in San Diego, CA. The Journey program utilizes the process of participatory photography to help refugee youth reflect upon and process their experiences of displacement, migration and resettlement, as well as to help them think critically about their cultural identities and communities.
In addition to the Journey programme, AjA supports the development and education of youth in the immediate community of City Heights, San Diego. City Heights is a large ethnically diverse community in the eastern part of San Diego, CA. PhotoCity uses a unique curriculum and long-term participatory photography program to turn the lens outward and critically examine important issues that affect their lives and community.
The AjA Project provides a safe space for reflection, reconciliation and growth so students can find their own voice and a sense of empowerment. AjA’s unique curriculum makes the agency a distinctive one in the region—producing measurable outcomes and gaining national and international press. A 2006-2008 program evaluation indicated that AjA plays a significant role in alleviating despair, loss, and alienation among refugee youth acculturating to life in America.
To learn more about AjA's projects visit www.ajaproject.org
The AjA Project believes students possess the skills and tools for success and self- sufficiency. Leading with an individual and unique creative spirit, AjA has provided community-based participatory programming for over 1,000 displaced youth.
Utilizing participatory photography methods, AjA’s after-school and in-school programs transform the lives of displaced and at-risk youth. In July of 2002, AjA launched Journey, a photography-based after-school program in San Diego, CA. The Journey program utilizes the process of participatory photography to help refugee youth reflect upon and process their experiences of displacement, migration and resettlement, as well as to help them think critically about their cultural identities and communities.
In addition to the Journey programme, AjA supports the development and education of youth in the immediate community of City Heights, San Diego. City Heights is a large ethnically diverse community in the eastern part of San Diego, CA. PhotoCity uses a unique curriculum and long-term participatory photography program to turn the lens outward and critically examine important issues that affect their lives and community.
The AjA Project provides a safe space for reflection, reconciliation and growth so students can find their own voice and a sense of empowerment. AjA’s unique curriculum makes the agency a distinctive one in the region—producing measurable outcomes and gaining national and international press. A 2006-2008 program evaluation indicated that AjA plays a significant role in alleviating despair, loss, and alienation among refugee youth acculturating to life in America.
To learn more about AjA's projects visit www.ajaproject.org
photo © Madina / The AjA Project
“Leaving your own country is like breaking some part of bond with the community. The whole day was gloomy and a smile was too expensive to sell. It was like a funeral and surely my coming to America means I am lost.”
