GEDA grant recipients invest in cultural preservation and economic development

BY KATIE AIZON
Journal Staff

Guam Economic Development authority grant awardees are creating impactful community projects in media and the arts to connect with community members across the region.

GEDA awarded 17 local organizations and agencies grants under the Qualifying Certificate Community Contributions Program on July 15 to support community initiatives addressing critical island needs under healthcare, public safety, economic development, higher education, and cultural preservation.

Recipients had the opportunity to receive up to $25,000 in funding for future projects, with a timeline of 12 months to initiate the project.

Inspire Marianas Inc. was awarded a full grant under economic development and will be using the grant to invest in media storytelling.

Victor Calvo, founder and president of Inspire Marianas, told the journal that the organization will launch a two-part video series, a total of 20 videos, featuring multiple profit and nonprofit businesses and their roles within their respective industry.

“We’ll be teaming up with over 10 local creators,” he said. “It’s an army of creators that will be amplifying the voices of businesses and creators to stand out in the marketplace,” he said.

Calvo said the project is an effort to promote positive storytelling locally and online. He stated the video series will aid entrepreneurs and visionaries to understand how partners or competitors operate to develop the economy, in line with previous projects such as The Neni Market.

“In order to get more people to value Guam’s economy and contribute to it, the conversation starts when they’re young,” he said. Digital resources should follow, so that the conversations can continue to be held regarding entrepreneurship.

The first part of the series is expected to launch in September with pre-production to begin in August. Breaking Wave Theatre Company Inc. was also awarded a full grant and is supporting cultural preservation by hosting an upcoming conference.

Breaking Wave told the Journal that the grant will contribute to the Rising Tides Youth Storytelling Conference and Festival that the company will host in early 2027.

CJ Ochoco, president of Breaking Wave, said the two-day conference will bring high school students who are members of drama clubs in Guam and potentially the Northern Mariana Islands together to engage in workshops related to the arts.

“What we will be doing is offering this two-day conference for story tellers, kids interested in culture, theatre, and performing,” Ochoco said.

The conference will also feature up to three keynote speakers and a competition, as requested by students in the Rising Tides Program when asked what they would like to see during the conference. “One of the biggest things they said is that we want the opportunity to perform and compete with people on island because they often have to leave in order to have that experience and want to showcase their work,” she said.

Joyce Torres, artistic director of Breaking Wave said that a conference would strengthen the relationship between theatre members in the region and provide accessibility to resources for young performers.

“As people who have gone to multiple conferences it’s a wonderful place to network and meet people who are thinking about the same things,” Torres said. sharing that the organization hopes to bring the same experiences locally. mbj