Meet Caroline Luna from "Salud: Healing Through the Arts"

Caroline Luna is returning for her second year with SALUD. She is currently a Freshman at DePaul University in Chicago.

The program SALUD was an excellent opportunity to educate not only myself but also the listeners of Radio Arte about different issues that impact the Latino community. Since the shows are centered on the theme of health we really explored the various things the term applies to such as mental, economical, physical, emotional, and even spiritual health. This resulted in listing many things that do not allow people to have the health they want to attain, and so us bringing those obstacles to the wide open was the first step that we hoped would happen after the audience listened to the novelas. It was impossible to walk away from this program without gaining some sort of perspective about different issues such as immigration, sex vs. gender, education, and sexism just to name a few specifically in the Latino culture. The SALUD program truly helped me become more aware, and that awareness motivated me to continue the conversation outside the station.

When I think back to my experience with the SALUD program I don't just think about the scripts, the recording, the editing, and the producing. I also think about the discussions that we had around the table in the mornings, while brain-storming, during lunch, and even after it was time for us to leave. And that was what I feel I have been doing more: bringing it up to discuss.

Since the program I have started college and what I have learned in SALUD is always somehow interwoven with the class, and it has allowed me to present a different perspective. I am not saying that since the program I have been to every immigrant rights march, or have started my own Amnesty International club in my school, but just how the seed was planted by making these novelas, I feel that the best thing is to continue the conversation. However, ever since the program I have been more aware about the current events regarding immigrants and has helped me be motivated and more encouraging for causes such as stopping deportations of students.

The ways that SALUD has impacted the community is by trying to disrupt the suppression of topics because they are seen as taboo or as topics that are "embarrassing" or "uncomfortable." Dr. King once said that peace is not the absence of tension, which is what many people try to reach by ignoring issues that can cause tension; however, that can only increase it and ignore the oppression. Programs like SALUD do two very important things. They make the community aware of the tension of whatever issues and secondly they can help prevent the spread of hate that that tension can create.

One aspect of SALUD that I really enjoyed was learning about the equipment that we were going to use to record and edit the radio novelas. And then eventually actually using it and understanding what was used for what as well as being creative with effects was a challenge but fun. It was all very new and exciting and an opportunity I am very grateful for. The other aspect that I really enjoyed was the balance of work and workshops. I loved thinking of ideas with my team and writing with them, but I also enjoyed having a workshop on acting, being educated about censorship, having a workshop on the structure of oppression and power. It all connected with our project and they all left me wanting to explore more.

Topics: Arts, Building Community, Family, Immigrants, New Routes Leaders, Technology, Training, Youth