On April 19, UCP-SARnet and Forks for Change organized the first Art for Change event! The event was centered on the theme of universal education.

Over the past year, UCP-SARnet members and partners have been collecting books, laptops, and desktops as part of various humanitarian projects to send these resources to the several partners in Ghana, Ethiopia, Mali, Ethiopia, Mali and Namibia to promote better education in these regions. 

The fundraising event was organized to pursue funds to ship the computers and books to their respective destinations.

The night was filled with great poetry, speakers and great art! The event featured a talented artist A.J. Odneal who is a high school student at Arizona Art Academy. The event featured Local Poet and Spoken Wordsmith Tufik Shayeb and Myrlin Hepworth a renowned poet in the Arizona community.

Marek Wosinski gave the keynote speak explained the current projects of UCP-SARnet and gave a brief history of the network and key achievements.

Following the speech we proceeded to the intermission and the silent auction where participants had the opportunity to bid on some of art donated for the event. Most of the art donated at the event was donated by IASPF. The American Society for Peace and Friendship a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting new immigrants in Metro Phoenix in overcoming barriers to self-sufficiency and integration by providing education, advocacy and empowerment programs.

Fatima Al who works for the IASPF was asked to speak during the event.  Below you will find a few excerpts from her speech:

"I started here in the U.S. as a refugee.  Adapting to the culture and overcoming the language barrier was very difficult for me.  But I learned the value of art."

"Before I came to the United States, I was very limited with only a notepad and colored pencils for supplies.  Coming here opened doors of opportunity for me.  I came to understand that art is not just colors on paper, but so much more.  It's concepts, ideas, thoughts and creativity plus beliefs and feelings that are being represented."

"Starting my high school education here, I only knew a little English.  I struggled through most of my classes but there was one class that gave me hope and inspiration and made me wake up every day and go to school excited.  It was my fine arts class.  Mrs. Dhalstdet changed the world for me and allowed me to express my thoughts through the lens of art."

"As a woman I was empowered and inspired.  I had the opportunity to meet with the community and voice my ideas and make my own decisions that shaped my future."

The secont event will be scheduled for the fall.