By Maria Juliana Remolina | Project Leader
"I didn’t think she had so many qualities!" That’s what Catalina’s mother told us during an exchange with other parents about their children´s achievements in the program “Circulos para ENprender”.Catalina, nine years old, was chosen by other children of the program, as the President of the Student Government.
The Student Government, which Catalina is a part of, is an essential element of the implementation of “Circulos para ENprender”. This strategy works to help children develop democratic values, participation, citizenship, and several skills such as argumentation, empathy, and critical thinking. Student Government’s elections begin with electoral campaigns and speeches by candidates, such as Catalina, and electoral juries supervise the voting; it is indeed a very experiential process for all children.
"It's very exciting for them [the children] and for us as parents; I didn’t know that Catalina was the President. It's very exciting; she cried and that made me excited because she takes all her activities very personally" Catalina’s mother said with quivering voice.
Parents’ meetings are also a very important element of Círculos para ENprender; they allow families to share their children’s achievements and be proud of their progress. The testimony of Catalina's mother is just one example of the experiences children have had as part of the program.
The implementation of the Círculos para ENprender program began in 2014 in a low income neighborhood in Bogotá called Egypt. FEN has worked hand to hand with Fundación Egipto con Futuro (FECF), a local grassroots organization whose purpose is to offer assistance to vulnerable children and youth. Through the FEN-FECF alliance children and youth have a dignifying environment that offers food, tutoring, and a safe and caring environment in which they are able to envision a better future.
Stories like Catalina’s are the result not only of FEN’s work and the support of our funders/sponsors but also of to your contributions as donors. As the Escuela Nueva Activa® itself, Círculos para ENprender is a comprehensive program that includes/requires teacher training, continuous advise, materials supply, and, in this particular program, psychosocial assistance.
Sustainability in programs such as Círculos para ENprender is always a major challenge when working to restore the right to education and to transform children’s lives. Your donations will allow us to continue Círculos para ENprender implementation and expand its reach.
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
