When: 2007-2011
Pre-Texts started in Boston under the name of the Paper Picker Press, with a grant from a renowned local Foundation in the summer of 2007. In the following years, Cultural Agents facilitated Pre-Texts trainings in many local and international organizations with positive and sustainable results across a range of cultures and settings as follows:
Pilot Projects (2007 – 2008)
During the first year Cultural Agents provided a series of pilot workshops. Valuable lessons from the workshops as well as the evaluation results were analyzed and incorporated into a new program design: the Pre-Texts model for training the trainers. The pilots were hosted at:
- BRAMAS, Framingham, MA
- Chelsea’s Boys and Girls Club, Chelsea, MA
- ZUMIX, East Boston, MA
During the fall, the Harvard Achievement Support Initiative (HASI) joined the Pre-Texts pilots to introduce the program in the following schools and after-school programs:
- Gardner Pilot Academy, Allston, MA
- Garfield Elementary School, Brighton, MA
- Winship Elementary School, Brighton, MA
- Roxbury Tenants, Boston, MA
- West End Boys and Girls School, Allston, MA
- Sociedad Latina, Roxbury, MA
Year One (2008 – 2009)
Local Workshops:
- Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center (CMAC), Cambridge, MA
- Harvard Alumni Association – Family Night, , Cambridge, MA
- Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
International Workshops:
- Caribbean University, Puerto Rico
- University of Guadalajara, México
- Museo Amparo, Puebla, México
- Mano Amiga Catholic School, Chalco, México
- International Book Fair; Guadalajara, Mexico
- Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango, Bogota, Colombia
Year Two (2009)
Local Workshops:
- Harvard Alumni Association – Latin American Clubs Leaders Meeting, Cambridge, MA
- Young People’s Project (YPP), Cambridge, MA
- Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC), Boston, MA
- Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA), Boston, MA
- Mattapan Public Library, Boston, MA
- The Harvey Milk High School, New York, NY
- UNICEF, New York, NY
- Harvard Courses Spring 2009 featuring the PPP philosophy:
- Linguistics 200, Harvard University
- YASC – Youth Arts for Social Change, Harvard University Extension School
International Workshops:
- Universidad del Este, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
- 7th Hemispheric Institute Encuentro
- Fondo de Cultura Económica, Mexico D.F
- Fundación Mi Sangre; Medellín, Colombia, participant organizations:
- Colombian Campaign Against Landmines
- Plan Hermano Program
- Handicap International
- UN-HABITAT / Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Chile
- Colombian Association of Landmine Survivors
- La Familia Ayara
- CIREC (Center for Integrated Rehabilitation of Colombia)
- CINDE (International Center for Education and Human Development)
- Discapacidad Colombia
- Red Súper-Arte, Colombia
Year Three (2010)
Local Workshops:
- East Boston Task Force, Cambridge, MA
- Colombian Children Visiting Harvard, Cambridge, MA
- Youth Work Intensive Conference, Cambridge, MA
- Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge, MA
- Harvard Arts First, Cambridge, MA
- Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA), Boston, MA
- Zumix, East Boston, MA
International Workshops:
Year Four (2011)
Local Workshops:
- American Repertory Theater (ART), Cambridge, MA
- Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
- Youth Work Intensive Conference, Cambridge, MA
- Conference on International Opportunities in the Arts
- Harvard African Languages in the Disciplines Conference, Cambridge, MA
- Harvard Arts First, Cambridge, MA