PUBLICACIONES
Education: Saturday Values Formation Sessions
Hello everyone! As some of you may know, we are frequently telling both our members and our donors that this is not a charity - we ask our members to give back both through direct service of others, and by making a commitment to bettering themselves and their families.
Part of this commitment involves learning the 10 Values we see as essential to a family's success. Inspired by the Gospel, these values have helped many, many families leave poverty behind in a way simple material assistance never could.
Attended by all of the parents and kids over 15 years old, each month we take a Saturday morning to explore a different theme and ask our members for reflection and action. Up this month: Education. Take a walk through the session with us!
To kick off the meeting, Marco Polo, our Director of Education, welcomed everyone and introduced our teaching staff. Delia, who runs a daycare program for play and homework, talked about the importance of demonstrating and teaching honesty at home in support of our work here. Juan, our computer teacher, reinforced his focus on practice over theory when it comes to learning computers. Bronwyn, our English teacher, shared “El Pacto” (The Agreement), a sort of promise between teacher, students, and parents about expected behaviors and motivations. She also taught the adults a Genki English song using the vocabulary “Hello, how are you?” to give them a taste of what their kids are learning. (Click here to see our young students performing the same song.)
Marco then talked about what constitutes education and why it matters for our families. The people talked about learning at school, at home, on the job, and on the street. Marco reviewed that education is not about just learning facts, but also values like Discipline and Responsibility. There was even a guest appearance by our President, Jorge Borjas, himself a working kid, who told a story about the importance of arriving on time. Overall, the whole experience prompted a lot of laughs and thoughtful discussion. A great way to kick off the school year!
Stay tuned for next month, when we tackle Health in our Saturday Session!
INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH US?
We are currently looking for donations to support our education programs. Please see our Take Action page to see how you could be part of this, or contact us if you'd like to support us in some other way. Please keep us in your prayers. All the best from Quito!
"Hello, How Are You?" - Teaching English at the Foundation
Here in Quito, students are heading back to school. They attend class either in the morning (from 7am-12pm) or in the afternoon (from 1pm-6pm). For the students that are part of the Foundation, the time they are not in class is spent in other enrichment programs.
And the most sought-after class by far? English. And it's not just for kids - this fall, we are also offering an adult English program with evening classes that don't interfere with work.
My name is Bronwyn Stone; I'm an American volunteer teaching English here at the Foundation. My students love song and dance, and not so much sitting and memorizing. Luckily, I've been able to capitalize on that interest to teach them English and help them feel empowered using an incredible curriculum called Genki English. Today, I thought I’d share a video from last years class singing “Hello, How Are You?”.
INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH US?
We are currently looking for donations to support our education programs. Please see our Take Action page to see how you could be part of this, or contact us regarding in-kind donations. All the best from Quito!
Reduce, Reuse...Make Art!
Hello everyone! Today I wanted to share some photos of the incredible work of one of our teachers. Señora Delia (with the hot glue gun in the photo below) is endlessly creative and has inspired our kids to repurpose materials from our recycling bin to make something beautiful. It was great to see the students looking at everyday objects in a new way.
Delia helps Kevin to construct his egg-carton house
Click on the photos to see the works in progress and finished projects below. And if you want to help out our art programs by donating supplies, please see our Take Action page. Thanks and enjoy!
INTERESTED IN PARTNERING WITH US?
We are currently looking for donations to support our art programs that nourish creativity. Please see our Take Action page to see how you could be part of this, or contact us if you'd like to support us in some other way. Please keep us in your prayers. All the best from Quito!