ChillaVista 06: An Interactive Celebration of Community

When:  June 4, 2006. 12:00 ­ 8:00 pm
Where:  Peoples Park, Embarcadero Hall.  Isla Vista, California
Bands:  Main Stage- Blue Turtle Seduction, Delta Nove, Typical Cats,
Kush and the Bloodfiya Angels, Elijah Emmanuel.  Local Stage-  Silent
Wei, BoomBox Orchestra, Ambidextrous, Iration, Winslow, Rebelution.

        Students from the University of California at Santa Barbara have
designed an astonishing project that promises to revolutionize the
community of Isla Vista.  In a town notorious for its Halloween mêlées
and party school reputation, the first annual ChillaVista: An
Interactive Celebration of Community festival seeks to create an event
that promotes diversity, awareness, justice, understanding and
sustainability.  The festival, which will be run 100% on renewable
energy, features eleven bands on two stages, multiple art spaces, a
farmers market, a children's carnival, a sustainable fashion show,
various cultural performances, interactive education, and will employ
the Zero-Waste model.  A major theme of this event is that it is a
symbolic celebration of the greater change that we wish bring into our
community year round.
        The ChillaVista crew has utilized university resources to accomplish
their goals.  There are currently three upper division student-led
group studies classes focusing on producing ChillaVista:  Sociology
194- Community Building Through Events, Communications 199: Propaganda
and Social Change, and Chicano Studies 194: Chican@ Outreach at
ChillaVista.  In addition to these three classes, three Peer Health
Education Internship groups will produce a collaborative presentation
at the festival: Students Teaching Alcohol and other drug
Responsibility, Sex and Relationship, and Healthy Eating And Living.
Furthermore, ChillaVista has built a coalition between such diverse
groups as the Environmental Affairs Board, the Residence Hall
Association, Isla Vista Community Relations Committee, and many
others.
        The town of Isla Vista is quite a unique environment; it often seems
like the community is solely comprised of students.  However, our town
is also home to a significant community of families, primarily of
Chican@/Latin@ heritage.  Unfortunately, these two communities rarely
interact.  ChillaVista group aims to bridge the rift between students
and family, and create a more integrative community.  The Chicano
Studies 194 class has planned a Chican@ awareness section of the
festival, featuring mariachi musicians, folklorico and Aztec dancers,
interactive workshops, and a children's carnival.  The class also has
created a tutoring network to compile the various educational
resources for children.  Again, the one-day festival serves as a
symbolic celebration of larger system change that we hope to bring to
the community.
        In such an era of significant global change, we feel it is of utmost
importance that we educate our community about the concept of
sustainability.  Since leadership by example is the most effective way
of promoting change, ChillaVista has meticulously paid attention to
greening every aspect of the festival.  Renewable forms of energy will
power all of the energy used at the festival.  We will be utilizing
the zero waste festival model as we recycle, compost, and reuse the
vast majority of the waste produced.  Our flyers are printed on
sustainable paper.  We will also be hosting the first farmers market
in Isla Vista for at least a decade, highlighting the importance of
local and organic food.  In addition to the actual implementation of
these sustainable techniques, ChillaVista will be conducting extensive
educational outreach in these areas.
        The ChillaVista festival will also showcase various artistic
endeavors in the community.  We will have a film festival running for
6 hours, showcasing UCSB film student's projects, as well as movies
recently produced by UCSB faculty members (Power of the Sun- Walter
Kohn, The Shape of Water- Kum Kum Bhavnani).  We will also be
displaying the work of various local artists throughout the festival.
In addition, there will be improv street theater teams roaming
performing throughout the day.  Keeping in mind or goal of
interactivity, there will be multiple spaces throughout the festival
where participants can create art of their own.
        The ChillaVista festival truly will revolutionize life in our small
community of Isla Vista.  Our hopes are that ChillaVista will not only
become an annual tradition in Isla Vista, but will continue to sustain
the values promoted by the festival year round.  We sincerely believe
in the power of community, and feel that Isla Vista has the potential
to become one of the healthiest, most sustainable, and
socially/environmentally conscious places in the United States.  June
4, 2006 will mark the beginning of this fantastic transformation, as
our community celebrates the wonderful gifts of art, music, education,
and of course, Chillin'!!!