Arts & Crafts for At-Risk Children in Oaxaca

I’ve introduced myself before, I’m Sara, and I’ve dedicated myself to finding ways for children to get to know the place we call home: to explore it, walk through it, listen to it, and understand it. I always hope that somewhere along the way, love begins to grow for the hill and for the beauty of our community.

Santa María Mixtequilla is full of guardians. As a society, we have also harmed much of what surrounds us, but there are people who care for this place, defend it, and work to keep its ecosystems alive. So this time, I brought together a group of neighbors and young explorers who love wandering, observing, and discovering.

I wanted us to think about an image that could give us courage in everyday life and remind us why we defend the land we live on: the guardians of the territory.It was a very playful day. We began by wondering what “our territory” really means and where it starts. With our own bodies? What is the name of our community? Our neighborhood? Our state?

Sometimes the idea of a powerful Guardian can feel like an archetypal hero, someone distant, almost imaginary. But after exploring the idea for a while, one of those wonderful questions appeared, straight from the innocence and curiosity children sometimes speak from:

“Sara, are guardians men or women? Or can anyone be one?”

That question changed the conversation.

We started with the figures they already associated with keeping people safe: police officers, soldiers, people in uniforms. At first, everyone spoke about them as men.Then the group began naming women. A protector, they realized, did not need a uniform. It could be their mom, their little sister, or any child who looks after the people and things they love.

“Me, because I take care of and protect my family,” one boy said.

And then someone looked beyond humans.

Because the beings who keep a place alive do not always look like us. They can be animals too.

“And then we have to take care of those animals, and the wild land, and the hill, and the river, and the sea, even if it’s far away.”

One by one, they kept adding to the list. Suddenly, everything around us seemed worthy of care. We ended the day by turning all of these ideas into an image they could take home. If we made our own guardian with our hands, what would it need?

"Eyes, of course. Hands too."

Then came the less visible qualities: courage, strength, and the willingness to care. Before creating them, we walked around the neighborhood collecting leaves and little pieces of nature that caught our attention. Our treasures from the path.

First, everyone drew what they imagined. The children gave themselves permission to step outside the usual rules and not worry about making something that looked exactly like anything that already exists. Then we decorated our creations with everything we had gathered along the way. And so we took these figures home with us: companions that keep us safe, give us courage, and remind us that we can also care for others, for animals, and for the places that hold our lives.

Helping children grow in awareness, sensitivity, and care is essential if we want new generations to build a deep and lasting relationship with the defense of their land. Thank you for helping us keep creating spaces where children can learn freely, explore their surroundings, and fall a little more in love with the place they call home.