Libraries Without Borders US

In 2018 and in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria, Libraries Without Borders US (LWB US) partnered with Link Puerto Rico, a local nonprofit committed to promoting STEM and education in Puerto Rico, to launch an Ideas Box pilot project in Loíza and La Perla—two under-resourced communities on the island. The Ideas Box is a portable, durable kit that transforms into a school, a library, or a community center, complete with a satellite connection, tablets, computers, cameras, books, and arts and crafts supplies. The project provides local residents access to technology, digital tools, educational workshops, and cultural activities.

Building on the success of the Loiza-La Perla Ideas Box, in May 2019 LWB US hosted “¡Empréndete Loíza!”, a series of workshops facilitated by experts from across the island that focused on designing creative solutions for specific community challenges. The winning team, Proyecto 187, designed a project that uses photography as a means to reduce violence in their community. Expanding on this successful program, two communities benefiting from the support of the Ideas Box resources organized summer camps in 2019 for youth and young adults. El Ancón de Loíza, a community association, organized workshops on sustainable agriculture, health literacy, entrepreneurship, culture and dance, design thinking, and marketing. Danaliz, a community leader in the Sector 23 y las Gardenias neighborhood, organized two summer camps: one for kids aged five to eleven and the other for kids aged twelve to twenty-two. These camps focused on sports, environmental stewardship, healthy eating, and entrepreneurship.