ESC: Culture with social impact for the community

La Guajira is a Sociocultural Association that was born in 2012 at the initiative of a group of creators from Almería from returned emigrants. Regarding the headquarters and the neighborhood: Starting from an old house located in the La Almedina neighborhood, the heart of the old town historical, right at the foot of the most representative monument of the city, the Alcazaba, we deconstruct a house to adapt it to the needs of a multifunctional space. They were six long months on site, recycling all kinds of materials, to make possible the dream of building without money, with the force of illusion, companionship and solidarity. Finally, on June 16, 2012 we inaugurated the headquarters. From the beginning, our framework of action make up the residents of the neighborhood, mostly with scarce economic resources, the general public and the neighborhood in itself, since we promote and develop actions that imply their improvement and enhancement. Another culture is possible: We work in alternative forms of collectivized economy, of donation and / or barter, with instruments such as the time bank and the social currency. These make it possible to broaden the spectrum of participation / collaboration with people with low or no economic resources, through actions that can be: participatory work, artistic, educational or informative interventions, exchange of materials for recycling (musical instruments, raw materials, tools, appliances, sound components, computers, lights, ornaments, etc.), among others. We could call our management model "Necessity Engineering." A large part of our activities are focused on energizing the cultural life of this peculiar environment, a task that we understand as a basic engine for its social regeneration. In its first seven years of life, La Guajira has become an indisputable cultural reference from the city thanks to a stable and high-quality weekly program. Music, theater, exhibitions, conferences, courses or workshops are just some of the main activities that make up our cultural offer. Among all of them, Flamenco stands out as a sign of identity, since it represents for the artists of the neighboring neighborhood of La Chanca-Pescadería and those of the rest of the city, an ideal platform to develop their art and bring it to the stage. The socio-cultural impact that La Guajira has had in this first five years attest to the more than twenty thousand eventual partners registered.