Top Aliento Highlights of 2018
It’s been an exciting year here at Aliento! From starting the year in D.C., to launching a new campaign. Here are our top highlights of 2018!
Vote4Dream
After being in D.C. for a month in the last weeks of 2017, we started the year back in D.C. Better focused, and more determined. Our the team collectively spoke with 98 Senators, more than 400 House Representatives, and notable people such as Kirstjen Nielsen, Ivanka Trump, Nancy Pelosi, and Stephen Colbert! We even experienced two government shutdowns while we were there!
Launching our Podcast
Did you know we launched a podcast this year? We did… and you can listen to us on Spotify, Apple Music, and Google Play Music! We cover critical political topics from Mass Deportations to the History of Tuition in AZ and a sprinkle of art!
Art of Being
For our annual art exhibition we showcased a year long of our arts and healing art pieces and invited various local artists to dance, sing, showcase, and DJ. It was a very special gathering of artists, and we had such an amazing crowd! More than 200 people showed up to our Art of Being event! Thank you all for making this a success, special thanks to Abloom for letting us use the space!
Collaboration with Cognate Collective and Martha Gonzales
This year we collaborated with art group, Cognate Collective who taught us the power of embroidery! And for bring their MICA are installation!
Also ASU Gammage Beyond brought over the amazing Martha Gonzales to give us a creative songwriters workshop. We now have an Aliento theme song!
Arizona's Future Launch - #EducatedAF
This year we launched a campaign to raise awareness about the challenges undocumented and DACA students face when pursuing their higher education dreams.
Aliento Fellows for Arizona's Future
This year we supported 5 fellows from 5 different schools. Each tasked to create teams within their school to help bring awareness for the Arizona's Future campaign. Collectively they've gathered more than 1600 pledges! They also received a small stipend, one on one leadership support, and leadership development workshops as cohort!
Our Interns
We are so lucky to have skilled individuals that want to use their talents to help Aliento in diffrent ways! Odin helped us with allies outreach at his school. Sophia joined us in the summer to help us out with the organizing efforts! Daisy organized all of our scattered lists and did the data input. Jessica joined in to help with the marketing efforts such as photography and social media.
Not pictured but shout out to Karen, Andrew, and Juan Carlos who are our high school interns and are raising awareness on how to support undocumented/DACA students and mixed status families at their school.
States of Incarceration Open Mic - Partnership with ASU and the Phoenix Library
We started out our new open mic season by partnering with ASU and the State of Incarceration exhibition! It was a great space to share.
2 Year Anniversary
We celebrated Aliento’s 2nd birthday at the Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center and we sold out! Huge thanks to everyone who was present and all those who have supported us by volunteering, making a contribution, sharing their gifts and talents, partnering with us, and co-creating spaces of healing and empowerment!
Reyna is a badass
And finally, the boss lady continues to be the boss. Starting by being named one of 2018 30 under 30 social entrepreneurs by Forbes. Being named one of "15 latinas que están transformando al mundo" by Univision! Named one of the CAFE 100. She was named one of 21 educators sharing Arizona’s next generation by AZCentral. Receiving the Spirituality Award at the 2018 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards! And finally being selected as one of eight New Proximity Entrepreneurs for the 2018-19 New Profit New Proximity Cohort!
She is hustling by being a student at the Harvard Kennedy School. She’s learning how to engage in exponential fundraising to build more capacity for Aliento. Just wow!!
