Empowering Indigenous Youth for a Healthy Future

Rising Minds closed out the 2021 calendar year by hosting our 4th Annual Adventure Camp. After two unprecedented years, it was amazing to gather in-person, outdoors, for a week of health, wellness, and educational enrichment activities. For the past two years, in-person classes have been in-frequent, distancing has been the norm, and everyone has experienced a heavier lift. Kids have felt the effects of isolating and the lack of routine provided by in-person learning. Rising Minds’ weekly adventures are providing crucial academic and wellness support for kids who have been out of school for the last 2+ years. 

Through our daily adventures, we worked to foster social emotional learning skills and competencies, such as self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness, social skills, and responsible decision making. Members of our youth group romped through coffee fields, swam in the lake, and took in scenic volcanic views while learning about mind, body, and the environment. The rest of this month will be dedicated to curriculum and activity development for the 2022 school year. 

With the recent surge in the Omicron variant of COVID-19, we are continuing to expect the unexpected. Our youth group, community educator, and community partner are continuing to preserve. With the uncertainty of in-person classes, we will continue to host weekly, outdoor adventures for the foreseeable future. Themes will include health, wellness, leadership, and civic learning, and environmental conservation. 

In mid-April, we were able to host our first in-person, outdoor, and socially distanced activity. After more than a year of remote learning and the suspension of in-person programming, it was great to be able to gather once again. In early May, with schools resuming classes, we began our in-school health trainings. Unfortunately, due an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in-person classes have been suspended once again. 

Hosting in-person programming is a top priority of Rising Minds. Most schools have not had consistent in-person classes since March 2020 and kids really benefit from in-person learning and activities. We are continuing to stay vigilant and monitor the number of cases in Guatemala and San Juan La Laguna to ensure the health and safety of our community. Due to the low transmission of COVID-19 outdoors, we were still able to offer our outdoor enrichment activities which include health trainings, social emotional learning (SEL) activities, and Forest Playgroup adventures. 

Through hands-on and engaging curriculum and activities, our program is providing social emotional learning, physical fitness, and academic enrichment opportunities. The effects of the pandemic are far reaching and kids have lost valuable learning time. Our SEL curriculum is working to instill a growth mindset and encourage mindfulness. Using a whole child approach to our health trainings and enrichment programming, we recognize the importance of fostering the well being of our partner students, which in return will lead to stronger communities. Activities include mindfulness meditation, gardening, bird watching, lakeshore cleanups, and scavenger hunts. 

Communities all over the world are demonstrating how resilient they are. The pandemic has altered lives, systems, and interactions. Our Community Health Educator, Bonnie, and our partner youth group are persevering through unprecedented and wild times. Continue to follow along and offer your support as the Rising Minds team navigates the lasting effects of the pandemic.