January and February, 2014: Summer School!

 

January came and I started Vacaciones Utiles (literally translates to "Useful Vacaciones," but it's simply "Summer School"). Unlike in the states, summer school isn't for students who have failed a grade or need remedial help.... it's a chance for them to get prepared for the next grade and also to relax and learn something interesting.

 

Vacaciones Utiles is also the first opportunity for a volunteer (who just finished three months in site, like me) to put that Community Diagnostic (that document that covers everything about your site from culture to child labor that you spend your first 3 months putting together, in Spanish) to work. From my investigations, I realized that the youth of Huamahcuco lack creative thinking and critical thinking skills. As a result, I formed a class of 15 students that focused on Arts and Crafts with Recycled products. (Littering/throwing trash on the ground is a huge issue in Huamachuco as well). The students had to critically think about the every-day household products we were using and what we could make new with them.

 

Here, Annabel has folded/doubled old magazine pages into a reed/stick. She then rolled  the reed into a circle, developing base the size of a drink coaster, in which she will later start forming the sides/walls of a basket or small bowl.

 

Here, Edith has cut a toliet paper carton into circle strips. She is painting them and forming them together with glue to make a flower. The girls made many variations in colors in sizes and they really turned out great.

 

Bryan is making a picture frame from rolled tubes made from recycled newspaper (you can also do this with recycled magazines). He glued them onto a cardboard box we cut to his liking and then cut a hole in the middle for a picture. He painted them to give it design, and added a string to the back so he can hang it.

The "boys" explaining their crafts to passerbys. 

 

My students showing off their projects. (It's normal for Peruvians not to smile in photos.)

 

 

A sampling of our crafts from the class. We made cards that listed the materials so passerbys could marvel at how easy it is to replicate: (CLOCKWISE, starting at cans, top left) Lanterns from milk cans, bowls from coiled recycled magazines, decorative flowers, picture frames from tubes of recycled magazines/newspapers, baskets made from weaving recycled paper/magazines, and decorative flowers (different design) from toliet paper cartons.

 

Team picture after the exposition!