About Us

Mission & Vision

some empty seats

To create and strengthen communities of co-producers in Central Arkansas focusing on food security, cultural
production, and economic opportunity for local producers with an emphasis on sustainable development and fair labor practices.
 

La Lucha Space brings together diverse individuals to participate in the creation of a culture that promotes local producers, works to strengthen the local economy, and cultivates a caring community. Our vision is to develop empowered local communities working together globally towards a more just and sustainable world.

When & Where

the front door of la lucha space, 2035La Lucha Space has our 'headquarters' or 'office' located on the southeastern corner of Prince and Donaghey in Conway, Arkansas. The front door is on Prince, the address is 2035 and the driveway is on Donaghey.

Please don't hesitate to drop in during our normal 'office hours' and cross paths with community, find out what's going on. These are the hours that the plate of the day is available (until we run out).  Some events are scheduled outside of our normal hours, check out the calendar to find out more.

Drop by the 'headquarters' during these hours:
Tuesday - Friday: Lunch (Noon - 2pm) & Dinner (5pm - 8pm)
Saturday: for special events only.

Parking at the space can be found on Donaghey, but is very limited.  Please bike or walk whenever possible and if you're coming for an event plan to park at the school, church or park near by and walk. 

The Idea

'La Lucha' could be roughly translated to 'the struggle'. In Spanish the expression 'la lucha' has many connotations--it is a basket of kitchen stuff on the edge of a raised bed gardenused to describe everyday efforts of making a living, resistance and perseverance in spite of opposition, social movements striving for change, and of course full impact sports 'lucha libre'! 'La Lucha' is many things but above all 'La Lucha' is an attempt to try something different, to invent our own rules and imagine new possibilities for the place we occupy and the space we transform.

         We view space as the thing created when place is 'practiced'. To us there is the physical positioning of things, which is place, and there is the meaning they have when interacted with. This means that all those who enter a place become creators, at least in part, of space. It probably seems trivial to make a philosophical distinction between space and place - especially for those not interested in philosophy. However, we thought it was important that la lucha space be thought of as a space - a place constantly being created and re-created by those who interact with it.

         La Lucha is therefore a community space created, transformed and sustained by the people who participate based on their individual ideas, skills and capabilities. This active engagement in the process shrinks the gap between consumers and producers as each member of the community becomes a co-producer--intentionally and consciously consuming, producing, and therefore transforming ideas, culture and space.

         We created La Lucha Space because of our belief that there are people like us who want to be involved in a community that is constantly creating 'space' with the creation, expression and exchange of ideas. We simply hope to share our place for that community creation. All are welcome, please come with an open mind.

The Facilitators

Sandra and Shawn sitting at a table with some fresh produce and flowers.Sandra Leyva and Shawn Goicoechea are the primary facilitators of La Lucha Space.  They began opening the door to their home to community activity in the summer of 2009 and have encourage and facilitated a wide range of activities and events at the space.

The Board

La Lucha Space board is comprised of committed members of the community who offer diverse viewpoints and perspectives on the execution of the mission and vision of La Lucha Space.  Bios and info on the way.

We're currently working on a new site so check back soon for more on LLS and our projects.