MC Weekly Issue #12, Tuesday, March 7, 2006

“Now that we can do anything, what will we do?”

Welcome to Massive Change Weekly, an electronic newsletter sharing news about groundbreaking achievements in global design.

Dream Guatemala Dream

Imagine changing the course of an entire country.
Imagine a better Guatemala.
Imagine reshaping a nation’s reality by rethinking its future, and creating an image powerful enough to galvanize action.
Imagine a field of vectors all pointing toward an improved condition.
Imagine if Guatemalans were to dream again…

About a year and a half ago, Bruce Mau Design was approached by a group of Guatemalan citizens who believed that through a collaborative process we could help them define the future of their country.

Before meeting them we received a letter from the Minister of Education asking us to join them in their “endeavors towards a common goal of building the spectacular Guatemala that they deserve”.

We helped this group of citizens define their identity and create the Foundation Project of Life (Fundación Proyecto de Vida), the entity that gave birth to the ¡GuateAmala! movement and which will continue to move it forward.

“We are a group of Guatemalans who deeply love and believe in our country. We are confident that the future of Guatemala is one of greatness. We believe that our people can be happy and prosperous, that in our souls there is the courage and the passion to make this a place of possibility for all Guatemalans.

“We believe that change can happen and that it will come from hard work, sharing, and trust in one another. We know that change has already begun, that there are groups and individuals who are engaged in making a different Guatemala. We need to learn about these people and their projects. We need to see change demonstrated so we can all start to believe. We need to connect to each other and to the world, to find a way to a better Guatemala.

“We have come together as a group to help make this happen. We are called Fundación Proyecto de Vida and we need others to join us, others who dare to dream, others who believe that by working together and respecting one another, we can realize our dreams.”

- Fundación Proyecto de Vida

Together BMD and Foundation Project of Life created a communication strategy which hinges on a movement called ¡GuateAmala! translated as Love Guatemala. The main purpose is to move the Guatemalan mentality away from a culture of negativity, towards a culture of possibility and positivity.

“We are confident that the future of Guatemala is one of greatness. We believe that our people can be happy and prosperous, that in our souls there is the courage and the passion to make this a place of possibility for all Guatemalans. We believe that change can happen and that it will come from hard work, sharing and trust in one another. We know that change has already begun, that there are groups and individuals who are engaged in making a different Guatemala. We need to learn about these people and their projects. We need to see change demonstrated so we can all start to believe. We need to connect to each other and to the world, to find a way to a better Guatemala.

“We have come together as a group to help make this happen. We are called Fundación Proyecto de Vida and we need others to join us, others who dare to dream, others who believe that by working together and respecting one another, we can realize our dreams.

“Our dream is ambitious. We want to create a movement for those who believe in a different Guatemala. We want to achieve a vision that is far removed from the culture of nightmares that our country has known. Our vision is to create a Culture of Life.

“By using the term CULTURE as an interface, we can invite Guatemalans into a CULTURE OF LIFE.

“A Culture of Life means a future rich in possibilities. By launching a movement we can champion a new understanding of Guatemala; a Guatemala with new cultures of dreams, learning, citizenship; cultures of respect and community, of innovation and prosperity; of leadership and diversity.

Culture of Dreams: Realizing the power to fulfil our dreams and ambitions.
Culture of Learning: Expanding our capacity for lifelong learning.
Culture of Citizenship: Assuming responsibility for our role in society.
Culture of Respect: Treating others with dignity and respecting the law.
Culture of Community: Building teams for collective benefit.
Culture of Innovation: Inventing new methods and outcomes.
Culture of Prosperity: Instigating new attitudes towards a better way of living.
Culture of Leadership: Taking initiatives to achieve positive change.
Culture of Diversity: Embracing differences to enrich life.

“If Guatemalans were to join projects within these cultures then they become full of ambitions, have tangible goals, meet outcomes and make real change in Guatemala. By developing a Culture of Life, we will redefine our identity. Each Guatemalan can choose the future they want. Together we can build a new Guatemala.”

At this point the Foundation Project of Life has begun the first phase of work which is to show what is already happening in Guatemala. They organized a communication strategy called Forum GuateAmala 2006. It took place from January 25th - February 5th and was held on a plaza in the middle of Guatemala City.

The forum was made-up of three components:

1. Exhibition - situated in the middle of the city (Plaza Espana) on a rotunda, it was all exterior. It consisted of AV and graphics, each section described the projects which form part of Guateamala and was divided up into the different cultures. They showcased 180 different projects.

2. Discourse Series - Guatemalan experts were brought in to discuss related topics around the cultures. After each debate the topic was opened up to everyone attending for further discussion.

3. Events - every night and during the opening and the closing of the Forum there were theatrical events, concerts, and other artistic representations.

47,321 people attended the exhibition
5,538 people attended the discourse series
11,000 people signed up to become part of the movement

GuateAmala is a citizens movement which aims to move Guatemalans towards the Culture of Life.

You can review the activities at http://www.guateamala.com.

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