AMBASSADORS OF CHANGE

a one-year mentorship storytelling program for Moldovan youth taught by National Geographic photographers

In 2020, Mereuta initiated, developed, and implemented an educational initiative in Moldova called “Ambassadors of Change at Home Through the Power of Storytelling” - a one-year mentorship program for Moldovan youth (ages 14-17 years old) living in rural areas across the country. In this endeavor, she saw the opportunity to empower teens in her home country and indirectly amplify her work on Moldova through the voices of many. She raised over $25,000 in financial support through an endowment of a media grant from the US Embassy in Moldova and made a team with a local Hometown Association ‘Bastina-Sipoteni’, the United Nations Development Programme in Moldova, and two renowned National Geographic photographers, Lynn Johnson and Erika Larsen to make this project a success. The program unfolded remotely at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic for one year, for 30 students, holding weekly classes and critiques, and culminated with a 5-day in-person workshop in Sipoteni, Calarasi, Republic of Moldova. The outcome was an incredible celebration of community and cultural diversity, widespread media coverage on National Television, digital cameras to foster further development of this project through continued education and formation of local teams led by these very students, and a printed book with the work of 17 graduates, mainly female, featuring their artistic, storytelling, and photographic skill reflected in the images of their communities’ daily life, culture, and socio-economic changes implemented in their localities.

BEHIND THE LENS

a storytelling mentorship program for young refugees in Romania

A storytelling workshop for young refugees established in Romania, co-taught in collaboration with photographer Horia Manolache and author Andra Samson.

The project ‘Behind the Lens’ aimed to “empower the youth with tools to own the narrative of their stories through writing and images created by them”.

Project funded by The Administration of National Fund from Romania and supported by The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Romania. Curated students’ work in collaboration with Horia and collaborated on the final exhibition of the work in a local venue in Bucharest, Romania, in 2021.

Blueocean Workshop

discovering the heart of Sicily

Co-teaches a Blueocean storytelling workshop in Reggio, Calabria, in Italy, with National Geographic photographers Erika Larsen and Lynn Johnson. Mereuta is invited to teach mindfulness-based meditation practices applied to storytelling and support the students in their photographic practice pursuit.

As artists, we often struggle with our inner critic in relationship to our art practice. Andriana led daily meditations to help students stay present and trust their vision concluding the time at the workshop with a meditation on metta (love and kindness) and sharing the kind things the other students had to say about each other so everyone could remember and see themselves through the eyes of another when the inner critic would resurface.

Caption: Students were asked to write one good thing they’ve noticed about their colleagues during the time they’ve worked together. I then systematized the words addressed to each student and glued them onto a separate paper to present them at the conclusion of the workshop so they each knew how they are viewed from the outside, what people see and appreciate about them. It was a heartfelt experience to see them retrieve into a corner for intimacy and even weep at reading their notes. The impact of kindness can never be underestimated.

FOTORAMA

liminal, terrestrial, mnemonic

Co-mentors a one-year masterclass in Kragujevac, Serbia with National Geographic photographers Erika Larsen and Lynn Johnson.

The workshop concluded with a few days in person workshop and a collective exhibition at the Fotorama Festival, Serbia.

Mentors:

Abiding in Mindfulness

a 4-week course on the four foundations of mindfulness and the principles of setting a daily meditation practice

Facilitating 4-week mindfulness workshops covering the fundamental principles of meditation training, taught online to an international audience and United States.

Caption: Online classes on the power of awareness and the four foundations of mindfulness. Students learned about the first step of meditation, i.e. establishing an awareness of the breath, then exploring the bodily sensations, the world of thoughts, and emotions.

New York University

in-person teaching / creativity centered

Caption: In person classes on the power of awareness and the four foundations of mindfulness in the context of creativity and artistic practice, ITP Camp ‘23, NYU.

Community Practice

co-facilitation, including mindful movement

Caption: Broward Community of Practice. Co-facilitating occasionally the practice of land acknowledgment (a historically Black/Native people beach), mindful movement and meditation.