Performing Life’s mission is to help children and adolescents who are working and/or living on the streets of Cochabamba, Bolivia to improve their daily lives and create better futures for themselves through the arts. We empower youth by teaching them productive skills that keep them in school and away from drugs while improving their chances for economic independence.
Performing Life also provides participating youth with new economic opportunities, and the funds they earn are used to start savings accounts that allow them and their families to make important decisions about their educational and financial futures. Since its inception our organization has helped over 2,100 children and members of their families, and we are proud that youth interest in our programs, and desire to expand them, has never been greater.
Objectives
Performing Life’s primary goal is to use arts education as a means to achieve: youth reintegration into family life; social development of children and youth living and / or working on the streets of Cochabamba; protection against the dangers involved in street life, such as drugs, alcohol, abuse, and crime; and provision of tools to help youth improve their economic opportunities and those of their family.
History
Performing Life was founded as so many nonprofits have been: by one individual recognizing a pressing need in the community and choosing to act. For John Connell, Performing Life´s founder, this moment came soon after he first arrived in Bolivia in 2003. Having recently graduated from high school, John arrived in Cochabamba, Bolivia without enough money to pay his way; following the example of local youth, he decided to take up juggling at stoplights to support himself. During that time, he befriended many youth living and/or working on the street and learned about the harsh conditions and difficult challenges of their lives.
Upon returning to the U.S. in late 2004, he began writing about what he had seen and experienced as well as his desire for helping the youth he had met. His idea was that, through music and the arts, youth living and/or working on the streets could find both positive ways to express themselves and potential pathways to a brighter economic future. With this focus in mind, John founded Performing Life in 2005 and began searching for the necessary funding to launch his ambitious program. Tony Bellizzi, Director of Hope for the Children Foundation, had faith in both John and his idea and gave Performing Life a seed fund of $5,000 USD. John returned to Cochabamba in 2006 and opened his first class with six students. In the years since then, Performing Life has worked with many children in a variety of programs.
We are always in search of new volunteers. Performing Life is a welcoming organization that gives volunteers the opportunity to bring their own ideas to the table, develop existing projects or create new ones, and make a real impact on youth and their families. We are a small organization, so any help is welcome!"
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