Global Services Outreach Program 2009, Part I
Global Services Outreach Program (GSOP): Community service and cultural integration excursion for high school students.
Escuela Camino Claro’s pilot GSOP was a great success last year and we are thrilled to see another equally enthusiastic, open-minded, and motivated group of students again this year. Well into their three-week Central America adventure, the Kalapuya High School group from Eugene, Oregon has already accrued a multitude of new experiences; ones they will no doubt remember for the rest of their lives. These seven students have also already begun to immerse themselves in the community of Pavones and make some positive changes in our town.
The group’s itinerary is packed with lots of volunteer, outdoor, and community integration activities that will better our town while at the same time provide these teenagers with the opportunity to become integrated in other cultures. It’s a joy for us ECC teachers, as active members of Pavones, to help coordinate this program and witness cultural boundaries being broken!
What will they be doing here in Pavones?
The following are the primary activities the high school group will be involved in
Park Improvement Project: Landscaping, planting trees, and cleaning up the children’s playground area that was recently installed in Pavones’ center.
Guaymi Indigenous Reservation Homestay: Three nights with Guaymi families in the indigenous reservation located in the mountains outside of Pavones. Families are able to share their culture, generate income, and teach the high school students what rustic living really means (and we really mean rustic!).
Life Stories Series: Several notable members of the community, locals and foreigners alike, are invited to dine with the group and share their perspective on Pavones’ history and the changes taking place.
A Day in Colegio: Each student is paired with a local high school student and will accompany them for a half-day of school, including the bus ride and attending their classes.
Painting Escuela Camino Claro: Last year was outside, this year is inside (the group already finished and it looks GREAT, thank you!!!)
So let’s get started!
Put your heads together for the Park Improvement Project
The “Play” has already become the number one hangout for local kids- BUT, it is greatly in need of some changes. The group spent day one drawing maps and making plans for the work to come. Installing trash bins, gardening, building benches, and putting up tire swings turned out to be the top priorities, although there were lots of great ideas. It all sure brought back memories of elementary school recess (wall-ball, four-square, tether ball…remember?).
While planning, students consulted with head coordinator, Hadas, and created makeshift blueprints for the new and improved “Play”.
The next step was a bit of weeding and beautification of the walking path by adding stones and coconut shells.
Next was constructing benches: the hard part was trekking through the mud to gather logs for the bases. As you can see, it IS the beginning of the rainy season! Then the sun graced us with its presence during the building part and now they are ready to be painted tomorrow.
This is only the beginning…
So keep checking us out for more posts about the students’ progress as the next few weeks progress.
You can check out last year’s Kalapuya High School group on ECC’s website’s photo gallery.
Tags: Community Event, community improvement, Guaymi indigenous, High School Programs