It was April 2017. We were sure that we would transform for good the empty lot in the middle of Centro Habana. We wanted to turn it into an active space for the community and a place to work for — and talk about — the Sustainable Development Goals.
This abandoned place in a high population density area needed to be seen and rediscovered by the community. At Arte Continua and Tercer Paraiso Cuba, we wanted to ensure that this place wouldn’t continue to stay unnoticed. We were preparing community activations to transform it from a dumpster into a gathering place to share responsible practices.
This idea would take its form through quarterly fairs — The Zona Rayo Activa fairs -.
The events for sustainable development in that empty lot are no longer a surprise to the Chinatown community in Centro Habana. They all started with the goal of helping the neighbors appropriate their spaces and avoid this particular place from turning into a dumpster.
Nowadays, it is one of the most valuable exchange places for Tercer Paraíso because it has become ‘the’ meeting spot where we bring together people and organizations through a common theme related to sustainable development. While locals get familiar with these subjects through interactive experiences, we promote connections and alliances between projects, institutions, and initiatives that believe and work for a sustainable social transformation.
Rayo Active Zone would be the literal translation of its name. It has to do with the name of the street “Rayo,” and it plays with the idea that our actions are ‘Rayo’active, looking to activate the community using the Sustainable Development Goals as the main subjects of each event.
The value of responsibility unites participant organizations. This responsible behavior is not used as a marketing strategy or an image investment but as a business philosophy, brought by the sensitivity of the small business leaders.
People who join the fairs are looking for alliances with the private sector, national institutions, cultural projects, artistic initiatives, and any other like-minded person who might be willing to create synergies and work together for a desirable and possible future.
Either by allocating a percentage of their profits, dedicating time, or
providing staff and resources based on a common benefit, new ventures that promote respect for the environment, diversity, and education are distinguished by their socio-environmental responsibility.
Highlighting these models as forms of business gains relevance in the area, promoting a balance between nature and humans, and believing that these organizational forms can inspire others.
The reflection is valid, either using the famous ETHOS indicators of corporate social responsibility or through any logical assessment that considers and respects people and nature.
The invitation is clear: We need to rethink our behavior and our impact constantly.
The meetings in ZonaRayoActiva dedicated to recycling stood out from the creativity and generation of a playful space to rethink the role of each social actor in search of that harmony. The rule in the area was clear: To Play Fair!
Flyers turned into Paper plane overflying the place, community transformation dreams drawn everywhere, themed serigraphs, paper crafts, stilts, living statues, music, designs, and upcycled car tires, were harmonized in community events to show how much we need to keep networks alive through personal relationships and practical exchange, in order to make a change for a sustainable world.
