Vision Guatemala's Vacation Program
Vision Guatemala's Vacation Program
Vision Guatemala's Vacation Program
Vision Guatemala's Vacation Program
Vision Guatemala's Vacation Program
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Vision Guatemala's Vacation Program
(I like) the fact that you can listen to other people tell you or motivate you to show you that every dream can come true (Elena, 18 years)
Vision Guatemala is making us better people with: values, responsibility and creativity. (Katarin, 14 years)
(Some diary entries from our students about our vacation program workshops)
Help us continue our vital school holiday program for the local Mayan kids of Lake Atitlan. We have over 70 kids and teenagers, from 3 local towns, currently participating in the program. The school holiday program offers the kids a chance to discover more about themselves, and gain important skills such as swimming and English.
Who We Are
Vision Guatemala is a grassroots organization that has been working with women and children in Mayan communities in Guatemala for over 6 years. Our main aims are:
We have over 70 participants in our youth program ranging from 4 to 20 year olds. Through our normal youth program, and by extension the vacation program, we give the participants opportunities that they otherwise don´t receive in the mainstream education system. Our workshops focus on exploring our identities, how the youths identify themselves, their roles within their community, and who they want to be. They are also given unique opportunities to express themselves through theater, puppetry, painting, dance, and music.
The Vacation Program
The theme of our vacation program this year is: recognizing and capitalizing on opportunities to improve our lives.
The focus of the vacation program is the continuation of our creative development workshops. In these workshops we encourage the students to explore who they really are through creative means. During the first 2 weeks we focused on the kids dreams and aspirations, and what steps they need to take to achieve them; and opportunities, what opportunities are presented to the kids and how taking these opportunities can potentially change their lives. In the coming month we hope to paint murals in the Vision Guatemala office with the kids, developing their ideas of their own personal goals and the goals of the community, and how to achieve them. Also we will work on a final project to present to the families of the children, where they will present through theatre, dance and oration, their dreams and how they hope to achieve them. This is very important to us as we believe that in many cases it will be the first time any of these kids have ever shared their hopes and dreams with their families.
The kids making their dream pyramid, where they discussed the steps needed to achieve their dreams, and worked on their teamwork skills.
The kids making props out of newspaper so they could act out their dreams for the group.
Making our dream wall. The dream hands reach up to the sky. All of the students wrote their dreams at the top of the hands, and the steps they need to take, up the arm.
Some of the students´ dreams:
I want to have a dog shelter where I can help and feed all of the street dogs
I want to be a professional football player
I want to be a journalist and work for an independent channel
I want to be a pediatrician and have my own clinic where kids can get free healthcare
Some more comments from the students about their classes:
(We learnt) to realize our dreams, it doesn´t matter how we achieve them, but we always have to think of our dreams if we are to realize them, do the things we need to do, even if there are obstacles, take opportunities that are presented to us, to achieve our dreams. (William, 17 years)
When we are given opportunities we need to take them to move forward. (Ana, 18 years)
I enjoyed coming to the workshop and making the pyramid of dreams. (Daisy, 7 years)
When I come here I meet lots of kids and sometimes we laugh when we get things wrong, that is why I come, to learn English. (Clemente, 12 years)
As well as the creative workshops we also teach English, swimming, and do sports and teambuilding activities with the kids.
Can you guess what verb our English students are acting out in this photo?
Sports day fun.
What We Need?
Your support will ensure that we can complete our vacation program for 2015. This will be used for materials such as paper, and paint for our murals, and for our permanent Guatemalan teachers that work year round with the kids.
Any support, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated,
Team Vision Guatemala
http://visionguatemalablog.blogspot.com/