DIVAS For Social Justice

DIVAS For Social Justice is helping to educate the young and the elderly about the advancing technical world.

Classmates Sha Sha Feng and Clarisa James founded DIVAS, which stands for Digital Interactive Visual Arts Sciences. The organization's goal is to teach media literacy, cultural awareness and bridging the digital divide. Both James and Feng were inclined to do something about the lack of women of color in the fields of Information Technology and New Media. This call to under-representation gave way to DIVAS, which helps young women build leadership and community involvement skills.

"Our initial planning phase was in 2007. By 2008, we ran our first program, "Imaging Ourselves," said co-founder Clarisa James. The program showed young girls how images of women of color are manipulated in the media by way of programs such as Photoshop. DIVAS is open to young women of color ages 8-18, but they have occasionally extended the age limit to 21.  

Now, the burgeoning group is preparing to implement its next program, DIBS — Digital Intergenerational Bridge for Success — which trains the elderly in digital media, specifically photography. The 8-week course focuses on basic topics such as introduction to the Internet, using a digital camera and introduction to Photoshop. A multi-media teacher, along with two youth representatives from DIVAS who have been with the program for at least one year, teaches the course. Classes are held at Restoration Plaza on Fulton Street, but the course also can be taught at area senior centers with coordination from DIVAS.

Currently, DIVAS is seeking business partnerships and sponsorship opportunities from the community to help the organization expand. James points out that although DIVAS has the tools to teach new media, they too need a helping hand with obtaining specific electronics. At times minimal equipment had to be rotated between a dozen girls.

"We are a small program, just at the grassroots stage and because of this, we are also pushing the initiative just in time for the holidays for individuals in the community to donate old equipment once they upgrade their laptops and digital cameras," said James. "Being that my co-founder and I work for free, have our own jobs as teachers and our organization is non-profit, it would be great if those in the community can donate to us."

Another program launching soon is called "In Her Shoes." Young girls are trained in this curriculum-based program to become multi-media journalists in the areas of photography, web design, media literacy and computer programming.

"We want these young women to go out and interview women who have made a difference in the social justice movement within Bed-Stuy and their own communities," said James.

DIVAS recently launched a project called "Bed-Stuy Community Eco-Mapping Project which looks at citizens in the neighborhood involved in creating and sustaining a greener Bed-Stuy.

"Since our students spent so much time and effort on the project, we hope to be able to present our students' and DIVAS work in Brooklyn galleries or museums in the near future," said Feng, co-founder of DIVAS.  The Mapping Project will be presented at Hunter College during an interactive installation show from December 19th-20th in the Blackbox Room 543, Hunter North Building.