Casper te Riele

casperteriele@upeksha-vor.org

Casper te Riele is the founder and general director of Upeksha. He is also the main music producer of Upeksha Records. Casper was born in 1993 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In 2016 he received a bachelor degree in sociology from the University of Amsterdam, writing a thesis about the benefits of different methods of resistance in protest movements. He completed a research masters of science in International Development Studies in 2019 with a thesis on the power of narrative in social development, after doing fieldwork in Bogotá, Colombia. Both his studies helped laying the theoretical groundwork on which Upeksha is build. In Bogotá, Casper also co-created a music video and documentary, developing the ideas that would set an example for part of the activities of Upeksha. Additionally, Casper has been teaching guitar for six years and he is a self-taught music producer and recorder. 

Read his personal statement here

Catalina Barragan Hinestroza

catalinabarragan@upeksha-vor.org

Catalina Barragán Hinestroza is the founder of Upeksha and was born 1998 in Bogota, Colombia. Catalina studies international relations and psychology. She has volunteered for 5 years for Techo Colombia, an NGO that works around Latin-America providing emergency housing, creating children programs, and empowering communities. Catalina also worked together with a program that aims to empower women that have been in jail, helping them to create a better future for themselves. And finally, Catalina was among the first volunteers to join Colombia's peace treaty program called "voluntariado par la paz", teaching and connecting with ex-guerrilla combatants of the FARC.

Read her personal statement here