La Terraza

La Terraza, A Story of Us All is a long term project about the gang “La Terraza” in the neighborhood of Casco Viejo, Panama. The project focuses around life for La Terraza as their neighborhood rapidly gentrifies and their involvement in an intervention and reintegration program run by Esperanza, a local social venture organization. It illuminates the intimate realities behind a layered and complex community effort. 

This story is about a neighborhood in transition, dissolving boundaries, histories of violence & incarceration, police repression, and an unique community solution to tackling complex realities surrounding at-risk youth and vulnerable populations. But more deeply it’s a story about change, suffering, joy, struggle, a story that illuminate the deep truth that despite the very real circumstances that differentiate us, we are all united by our shared humanity and connection to one another. It is a story that reflects us all.

Most importantly, it is a story that highlights what we can accomplish when we loosen our prejudices and preconceived ideas about one another and instead do our best to understand and relate.

“One of the biggest problems we face as humans is the fear of change, to get out of our comfort zone and do things different from the way they have always been. We like to focus on the problems of our life, but we must ask ourselves, what are the solutions? We need courage. I want to wake up every day with a purpose and to be a positive example to my community”.

- Former gang member