Para la versión en Español, haga click aqui.

Melassa Foundation works from a participatory action research perspective meaning that every research project we develop we do so in terms of the interests of the Latino community we are documenting.  On the other hand, our larger interest is to improve the representation of Latino culture in all areas of life.

Sometimes referred to as "advocacy" films, the main focus of the Research and Visual Documentation Program is the production of documentaries that bring about social awareness or social change.  Our methodology is based in a research and documentation phase which includes participation in various events, festivities, and day-to-day life of the community, the implementation of interviews and focus groups, accompanied as well by hands-on workshops where we teach how to use video and photographic cameras, perform interviews, and edit film material in connection with the Workshops Program.  A second phase involves follow-up workshops in the community and diffusion of the visual work through the organization of different activities with members of the community, however outside the community, in order to show the work done.  At the moment, we are working with the community of Mata Los Indios in San Felipe de Villa Mella, specifically with the Cofradía de los Congos del Espíritu Santo.  Following the model of collaboration we develop with them, we hope to work in a similar fashion with other communities in the future.

We had have new colaborations with:

The Melassa Foundation signed a contract with ADASEC, Asociación de Ayuda Social Ecológica y Cultural (Association of Social, Ecological and Cultural Help) to take artistic and creative activities to the children of the food kitchen, run by this non-governmental organization, in the town of Palavé.  In the food kitchen, approximately 51 low-income children from the community of Palavé are served lunch.

Students in Melassa's exchange program, who come from foreign universities, participate in the activities as well as students from the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC) and interns from the Mata de los Indios community, Marilyn, Johanny and Mery, who are also doing internships with Melassa.

The Melassa Foundation and the Areito TV chanel are doing an  participative and communitary work  with projects of Melassa taking account Areito Chanel member's participation  and its group of youth people to film videos and produce video documentary  (filming,  editing, enterviews, etc) as well as the chanel teaches communication equipements,  its function and manage to the interships and Melassa members.  The chanel can participate with its projects in colaboration from Melassa and receive  in its production.   This colaboration pretends to do a inique work  which ineterests be unit to show dominican culture and identity in its different manifestations (beliefs, ideology,  habits, art, etc)