Renovating for a Better Learning Environment

At CasaSito, we understand that the environments in which people develop directly influence their well-being, motivation, and sense of belonging. For this reason, it is essential to have spaces that convey warmth, safety, and tranquility, where youth scholars, their families, and teacher scholars feel comfortable, heard, and valued.

Strengthening our infrastructure means creating larger, well-ventilated, and multifunctional areas that allow different activities to take place simultaneously without compromising privacy or the quality of support provided. It also means designing spaces that inspire, encourage positive interaction, rest, and reflection, and provide a welcoming setting for emotional and personal growth.

In our center in Alta Verapaz, having a multipurpose room is essential to provide flexibility, functionality, and well-being for our team and participants. It will allow us to hold trainings, workshops, and parent sessions in one comfortable space, eliminating the need to rent external venues and helping us make the best use of CasaSito’s resources.

It will also make it easier to organize activities that involve many participants, ensuring proper ventilation, comfort, and space distribution, which all contribute to attention, learning, and overall well-being.

At the moment, parent school sessions in Alta Verapaz are held in a very small area, which limits the development of practical workshops. Expanding the space will allow us to offer a more comfortable and functional environment.

The work can only begin once the required funds are secured, and we are deeply grateful to all who are helping make this improvement possible.

“We would feel more comfortable having a space adapted to each activity, and an additional area for us as scholars to gather while waiting for activities to begin.” - University Scholar

“CasaSito is a second home for many, and having appropriate spaces would strengthen that sense of belonging.” - University Scholar

“In the homes of our scholars, there are often no spaces for rest or reflection. Providing them with a calm area at the office, where they can relax or reflect, would be a positive contribution.” - Executive Director,

Links:

• Website
• Latest Bulletin

In Alta Verapaz, one of our goals this year is to expand the largest room where we host workshops with youth and families. Currently, the space is too small and becomes unbearably hot, especially during the day, making it difficult for people to attend comfortably.

Ideally, we need room for 35 people with tables and chairs. At the moment, only 25 fit without tables and just 15 with them.

Expanding the room would provide a cooler, safer, and more welcoming environment, and it would also save money on venue rentals for large group activities. We are incredibly grateful for all the support the project has received so far. Once full funding is secured, we can begin the expansion.

At our center in Sacatepéquez, we have enclosed the main storage area so that stacks of chairs and boxes are no longer visible. This small but meaningful improvement has made the space feel more organized, less cluttered, and more welcoming for everyone.

At this center, we also aim to create a calming and welcoming space away from the busy main hallway, a place where people can connect with peers or simply take a moment for themselves during their busy days.

Our first priority remains funding the room expansion in Alta Verapaz, where space limitations are currently impacting the way in which workshops and large group activities are organized, sometimes requiring the renting of a larger space elsewhere. Afterward, we will focus on creating this much-needed calming and connection space in Sacatepéquez.

Thanks to your generous support on GlobalGiving’s Bonus Day, we have now almost reached the halfway mark toward our goal.  

Links:

• CasaSito's Annual Report 2024