Working at peace through the arts

This month we are pleased to highlight another member of the Guatemala/El Salvador MCC team, Lilian Guenther. Like similar projects that are becoming more and more important in the region, Lilian coordinates an arts and recreation program that works at building peace and providing healthy alternatives for individuals from high risk areas. The reality of violence in urban centers around Central America is alarming and discouraging, one that often affects youth the most; more than half of Guatemala's population is between the ages of 18-30 and are often involved, or accused of being involved in crime. Programs like AMAR (see below) and Trasciende (read Guatemala youth transcend violence through hip-hop) are offering creative ways for youth (and adults!) to develop their artistic abilities, an opportunity that is seldom part of their everyday reality.

Lilian (left) with fellow MCC worker, Elizabeth

My name is Lilian Guenther and as of February, 2011, I work with A.M.A.R. (Academia Menonita de Artes y Recreación, which stands for Mennonite Academy of Arts and Recreation) in Guatemala City. A.M.A.R. is a program of the Mennonite Church of Guatemala and is funded by MCC. The main objective of this program is to contr ibute to peacebuilding and the artistic and recreational development in the eight Mennonite churches and their surrounding communities. Together with my co-worker Isabel Garnica, we coordinate the program, look after the administration, direct choir, teach music classes to children, youth and adults, and provide weekly music classes in a pre-school program of one of the churches. At this point AMAR has about 70 students at the two current venues where music classes are offered and 40 students at the pre-school program. The students range in age from 7 to 59 years of age. In the work as coordinators there is never a dull moment as there are always students to encourage, songs to arrange, classes to plan, reports to write, decisions to be made, meetings to attend, and most importantly to connect with students, teachers and parents. I deeply cherish the relationships that have developed over these 7 months of my time with AMAR and I look forward to many more!


Lilian playing the Paraguayan harp


directing a choir that is part of AMAR

In 2012, the Connecting Peoples program hopes to coordinate more with AMAR and other projects of the Mennonite churches in Guatemala City. This could be an exciting opportunity for groups who are interested in connecting with urban youth and learning more about the complex reality here. In addition to AMAR and other projects, the Mennonite churches in the city support a community library that was organized mostly by youth, and a pre-school project that some of you know well. We look forward to what 2012 will bring and welcome groups that are interested in partnering with these projects.