One of the newest student groups on Penn’s Campus, Venezuelan Outreach for Community Empowerment and Service (VOCES) was started by senior Andreina Lamas and freshman Diego Caceres. The two students created VOCES as a means to gain a greater sense of the Venezuelan community on campus, spread awareness of the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, and provide aid to the Venezuelan people. As Andreina said, “We’re more than the crisis…not just the CNN perspective.” In Venezuela, citizens are protesting how their government is managing hyperinflation, economic war, food shortages, oil output, debt, health assistance, crime and poverty. With a country that is suffering over 2000 miles away from Penn’s campus, the students who call it home are working to “empower the Venezuelan identity and encourage social, humanitarian advocacy, and service.” The group is working under the branches of community outreach, cultural education, and advocacy. As they grow, they aim to become more prominent members of the Penn community, accepting Venezuelans and non-Venezuelans alike, as they promote la Resistencia.
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