Atlas Network’s Coach, Compete, Celebrate model is on full display at each of our four Regional Liberty Forums, through the Think Tank Shark Tank grant competition. In this event, three Atlas Network grant recipients take the stage to pitch a panel of judges—and the audience—on why their project should receive additional funding support.
These Think Tank Shark Tank pitch competitions don’t just offer contestants a chance for prize money, they also accelerate innovation throughout Atlas Network by promoting entrepreneurial responses to new and old challenges. Atlas Network is pleased to announce the three contestants who will compete at Latin America Liberty Forum in Punta del Este, Uruguay on March 23-24.
Natalia Olivencia, fundraising director at CESCOS (Center for the Study of Contemporary Open Societies) in Uruguay, will pitch her project to use visual media, including virtual reality (VR) experiences, to show the rights violations that take place under authoritarian regimes such as in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. The organization plans to work with Voices of Memory Inc., which has already created a VR program highlighting torture and other human rights violations by the regime in Venezuela, to promote their existing work and create new content. This will include creating new documentaries and VR material and presenting the finished products at universities and events to increase accessibility.
Anamaria Camargo of Instituto Livre pra Escolher (Brazil) will present her campaign to popularize educational choice for Brazilian parents. Despite increased education spending, over 30 million Brazilian students remain in schools that fail them, leading to poor educational outcomes and a cycle of poverty. Camargo wants to change that by reaching Brazil’s voters and lawmakers with her organization’s research showing that parents are capable of making informed decisions about their children’s schooling, and that education choice presents a path toward a better future for Brazil’s students.
Camilo Guzmán of Libertank (Colombia) aims to sell judges on Líder Lab, his organization’s plan to bring young community leaders together to learn about free markets, individual rights, and classical liberal values. Líder Lab will also offer these young people the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals and envision how their lives and communities could be transformed through more liberty. Libertank has seen success with this model and is looking forward to taking the next step with their plan.
Think Tank Shark Tank and more Atlas Network competitions will be coming to your part of the world. Visit Together.AtlasNetwork.org to receive updates about Atlas Network events in your region.