A Christmas Gift

FREEDOM WITHIN!

Living AcademY of Arts

KAKUSA, the Lamb of God Foundation and One Life Missionary Group launched The LAYA Project on 11 August 2007 to benefit the inmates of the Maximum Security Compound of the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City, Philippines.

LIVING ACADEMY OF ARTS

“Where the art is free!”

"Laya" is the Filipino word for "Free". The Living AcademY of Arts is an inter-denominational and multi-cultural group of volunteer-artists within and without the Maximum Security Prison who work towards the following:

Mission

To enhance and develop creativity amongst inmate artists; to provide those gifted in the arts a channel to produce and perform; to educate in all fields of art; to inspire and generate hope through the expression of living art.

Vision

By allowing for freedom of expression and the fruition of talent, inmates are given the chance to live productively and enhance their knowledge of the arts. Art improves the mental and emotional condition of inmates, regenerating a sense of pride in what the individual is able to create for the good of society.

Through positive construction, we intend to restore hope in the lives of men in bonds. And through adopting programs which enable them to showcase their talent, we will work to inspire reformation and/or improvement in the individual.

To assist inmates in rehabilitation through the arts, LAYA conducts the following workshops bi-weekly:

• Theater (performing arts, dance, stage, acting, choreography)
• Fine Arts (painting, photography, drawing, rendering)
• Literary Arts (poets, playwrights, writers)
• Music (bands, sound design, music productions)

Each workshop is done with the goal of a staged performance, exhibition, or showcase of talent after a determined period of months.

An essential part of LAYA's outreach involves bringing volunteer artists into the Maximum Security Compound, and enabling them to contribute their own talents in whatever field they may be gifted. Guest speakers inspire; volunteer teachers give classes. And by interacting with prisoners in a constructive and positive environment, they play a key role in the rehabilitation programs of the Bureau of Corrections.

LAYA seeks to capitalize the success of artists, whose works inspire and empower others through the realization of personal responsibility and guided values, encouraging potential artists to use their creative gifts to enhance the quality of life for themselves and others, regardless of status or environmental conditions.

We regard prisoners as human beings, each with a gift to give back. Their lifetime may be spent behind bars, and this is their reality. But through the participation of volunteer artists sharing their artistic talent and skills with LAYA group members, we hope to communicate that, in life, true freedom is only found within the chambers of one’s heart.

Thank you for being a part of the LAYA project through your financial contributions and moral support which enable us in our missions.

We still need the commitment of more individuals and corporations who can help to aid our work. Please let us know how you would like to assist us. Together, let us make a lasting difference in the lives of others.