Somewhere Over the Border Community Partners

Community Partners

Somewhere Over the Border is a theatrical and musical experience rooted first and foremost in the power of community. At People’s Light, our relationships with community partners are an integral part of the artistic process. The individuals and organizations that constitute Chester County represent an intricate fabric of languages, nationalities, beliefs, and so much more. Brian Quijada encourages us all to see not only those threads of the fabric that appear unique, but also the ways in which those threads weave together to create a brilliant, singular image of belonging. Just as The Wizard of Oz teaches us that there is “no place like home,” this production emphasizes that home is not just a place, but a people.

We are so thankful to maintain relationships with some of the people that make up the beautiful neighborhood of Chester County through our Somewhere Over the Border community partners.

Alianzas de Phoenixville

148 Church Street
Phoenixville, PA 19460

Alianzas focuses on diverse immigrant communities in offering a welcoming place that connects individuals to the resources needed to live in dignity and to have success in connecting with their immediate world and neighbors. Having that liaison to help navigate through our systems is vital in helping this population become even more of an integral part of the Phoenixville area's social and economic growth.

Alianzas strives for equity and the dignity of diverse communities regardless of their country of origin by providing services to the under-resourced and by promoting intercultural exchanges to connect all individuals in the broader community.

WELCOMING individuals and families who seek refuge in our community by celebrating their arrival, validating their spirit of survival, and acknowledging every person in a way that is sensitive to that person's culture and beliefs.

ADDRESSING the 4 stages of immigration trauma (Forced to leave, Perilous Journey, Border Processing, Threat of Deportation) with clinical therapy and community healing

ADVOCATING for equity and justice toward those with vulnerable status by mediating issues such as discrimination, inhumane housing conditions and wage theft

EQUIPPING with tools that help rebuild lives, connecting with resources and programs that affords everyone the dignities of life.

NARRATIVELY changing the one dimensional, misrepresentation of folks experiencing forced migration that Influences how people live, work, and relate to one another in our community.

Visit the Alianzas website

Casa Guanajuato Kennett Square

645 E Baltimore Pike
Kennett Square, PA 19348

An independent, non-profit organization focused on the culture, arts and education of the Hispanic community in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

We are an organization that emphasizes art and culture as an engine for individual and community development. The cultural richness of Hispano-America allows the development of activities, events, and festivals that encourage the artistic creation of the community.

Visit the Casa Guanajuato website

Mighty Writers El Futuro Kennett

121 Willow St.
Toughkenamon, PA 19374

Mighty Writers El Futuro Kennett is a bright and cheerful space where kids of all ages attend bilingual after-school writing workshops, get individual help with homework, learn social-emotional skills like mindfulness, empathy and conflict resolution, and create artistic projects that pay tribute to their Latino heritage.

Their families are supported at Mighty Writers too – through free activities that help them connect with other parents and build skills that will help them in the job market.

Visit the Mighty Writers El Futuro Kennett website

Immigrant Rights Action

70 W. Oakland Ave, Suite 200
Doylestown, PA 18901

Immigrant Rights Action seeks to ensure that the human rights of our neighbors are upheld. We do this through access to immigration legal services, education, connection to community resources, and collaboration with allies.

We strengthen our community by uplifting our most vulnerable neighbors.

Visit the Immigrant Rights Action website

Free Migration Project

150 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Suite 203
Philadelphia, PA 19122

Free Migration Project’s unique mission and program work is intended to confront the systemic oppression that millions of noncitizens face in the U.S. while living under the threat of deportation.

Free Migration Project works at the intersection of law and community organizing to promote freedom of movement as a basic human right.

We envision a world where free movement of people is the legal, social, and cultural norm. We call for a human right to migrate and the abolition of deportation.

Visit the Free Migration Project website

Centro de Cultura Arte Trabajo y Educacion

1246 W Main. St
Norristown, PA 19401

CCATE is non-profit organization with the mission is to ignite social transformation by developing the talents of and empowering the Latinx community through culture, art, career development, and education. As this mission is realized, our work has grown to include health, science and technology, environmental care, and participatory research.

Based on family, student, and faculty interests and talents, we collaboratively design classes for youth and families. What makes CCATE unique is how through the intersection of our dreams and determination, we collectively create space for individual growth, community engagement and social change. Our vision is that, through holistic development of the community, the dreams of the Latinx community can be achieved.

Visit the Centro de Cultura Arte Trabajo y Educacion website

HIAS PA

600 Chestnut St., Suite 500B
Philadelphia, PA 19106

“HIAS” stands for “Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society,” and is an acronym that has been part of our name since the early 20th century. We are proud of our history as a Jewish organization that was created to help Jewish refugees, and, since the 1970s—precisely because we understood what it meant to be a refugee—we have been proud of our work to help refugees of all faiths and backgrounds.

The freedom to be and to practice your faith without persecution is fundamental to our work, as is the freedom to live and thrive without persecution for any reason. We are commanded as a Jewish people to welcome the stranger because we were once strangers in Egypt. Our clients, immigrants and refugees of all faiths and backgrounds, are welcome here, and we are grateful for what they bring to us.

Visit the HIAS PA website

LCH Health and Community Services of Kennett Square

731 West Cypress St.
Kennett Square, PA 19348

LCH's mission is to improve the health and well-being of people and communities by providing high quality healthcare, resources, and social services.

LCH will set the highest possible standard for community health and wellness by creating and sustaining the resources, conditions, and opportunities that enable all LCH patients and community members to experience their optimal health and wellness.

Established in 1973 as La Comunidad Hispana by Kennett Square residents, clergy and advocates to serve the needs of a primarily Latino population drawn to the area by jobs in the mushroom industry. Vulnerable families were in need of a place to go for help, ask questions, and seek resources. Peggy Harris and Margarita Quiñones brought healthcare to the non-profit organization, and La Comunidad Hispana, came to life laying a foundation of passion for serving our community.

Visit the LCH website