Kantaya Christmas Workshop
December 5, 2015
Learning Outcomes: Exploration, Collaboration
In order to bust up the christmas spirit around Ventanilla, the Kantaya club decided to plan a Christmas themed visit. We wanted the kids to be able to make something to take to their houses to create a christmas spirit around the holidays. Most of the kids that go to Kantaya come from extremely low-income families that don’t always have the money to celebrate christmas with a christmas tree or decorations or even a christmas diner.
Therefore we decided to create three stations in our visit. In the first one the kids would build and decorate small Christmas trees out of ice cream sticks, in the second one they would make Christmas tree decorations out of red and green cardboard using glitter and colored pencils, finally in the third one the kids would decorate plain cookies using colorful frostings. I worked in the cookie station together with three other girls and we bought 120 plain vanilla medium sized cookies so the kids could get two each. The goal of this station was that the kids would end up having two decorated cookies; one they would keep, while the other one they should give to someone special as a sign of gratitude and love.
I believe that this workshop had a lot of meaning, due to that not only would the kids have beautiful cookies, yet they would learn the true meaning of Christmas, which is that giving is more important than getting. After talking with the kids for a while and asking them who would they give the second cookie to, I was surprised with their answers. Coming from kids who rarely get to eat a cookie, I was expecting most of them to dislike the idea of sharing one with someone special. Surprisingly most of them where really familiar with the concept of giving and where eager to share their cookies, some of them even offered to share theirs with me.
Learning Outcomes: Exploration, Collaboration
In order to bust up the christmas spirit around Ventanilla, the Kantaya club decided to plan a Christmas themed visit. We wanted the kids to be able to make something to take to their houses to create a christmas spirit around the holidays. Most of the kids that go to Kantaya come from extremely low-income families that don’t always have the money to celebrate christmas with a christmas tree or decorations or even a christmas diner.
Therefore we decided to create three stations in our visit. In the first one the kids would build and decorate small Christmas trees out of ice cream sticks, in the second one they would make Christmas tree decorations out of red and green cardboard using glitter and colored pencils, finally in the third one the kids would decorate plain cookies using colorful frostings. I worked in the cookie station together with three other girls and we bought 120 plain vanilla medium sized cookies so the kids could get two each. The goal of this station was that the kids would end up having two decorated cookies; one they would keep, while the other one they should give to someone special as a sign of gratitude and love.
I believe that this workshop had a lot of meaning, due to that not only would the kids have beautiful cookies, yet they would learn the true meaning of Christmas, which is that giving is more important than getting. After talking with the kids for a while and asking them who would they give the second cookie to, I was surprised with their answers. Coming from kids who rarely get to eat a cookie, I was expecting most of them to dislike the idea of sharing one with someone special. Surprisingly most of them where really familiar with the concept of giving and where eager to share their cookies, some of them even offered to share theirs with me.
Cayetano Heredia Halloween Visit
October 31, 2015
Learning Outcomes: Exploration
Learning Outcomes: Exploration
In the FDR Community and Service Club we visit the pediatrics area in the Cayetano Heredia Hospital. Most of the patients there are kids from the provinces of Perú that have to leave their families to come to Lima to get treated. Because of this situation plus the fact that they are constantly threatened by their illness, the atmosphere in the hospital isn’t the most cheerful one, and in fact it can sometimes feel somewhat depressive. I believe that many times illnesses are psychological; Im no expert in psychology, but I know that if you are constantly laughing and thinking positively you have better chances of surviving an illness.
Our mission in the CAS club is to entertain the patients with fun and themed visits so they can make the best of their stay in Cayetano Heredia Hospital. Our visit this Saturday was a very special one, due to that it was the 31st of October (Halloween). Halloween is a holiday created specially for the kids, unfortunately the kids at Cayetano Heredia would have to miss the Halloween celebration due to their inability to leave the hospital while they are being treated. In order to help the kids celebrate this joyful holiday, we decided to bring Halloween to them. |
The whole CAS club cabinet gathered and started brainstorming ideas about what we could do to make this visit the ultimate halloween experience for the kids. The first thing that came to our mind when brainstorming was the obvious: candy, but later we realized that this would be a little complicated due to that some kids at the hospital are in strict diets where they are not allowed to eat candy. We were struggling a little bit with figuring out what to do, due to that physical activities like sports were also not an option because again many patients have to stay on their beds. Finally we decided to go to the rest of the club to ask for ideas. After a session full of brainstorming ideas and planning, we finally came up with the perfect Halloween-themed visit.
After coordinating what each should bring to the visit, on Saturday morning all members gathered in the FDR gates with their designated props. I was fascinated and surprised with the dedication of the club members who attended the visit. Each one was dressed with a costume of their choice, and carried with him/her games and decorations. When we arrived to the hospital we tried to keep an upbeat energetic attitude that would hopefully be passed on to the hospital kids due to that we wanted this visit to be specially cheerful. The morning passed rapidly as we dressed up the kids in costumes and decorated the hospital rooms with black and orange balloons and spooky spider webs. In the last two hours we sang to them Halloween songs and played with them card games with halloween themes. The visit passed really fast for both the club members and the patients, but at 11:30 we felt obligated to leave because the bus driver was waiting for us outside.
Usually, all Cayetano Heredia Hospital visits end with a very rewarding feeling, a feeling that you have made someone’s day, but this visit was special. At the end of this visit I felt as if I had actually changed these kids’s life. I remember seeing the kids smile like I had never seen them do before, and I remember hearing the moms and dads thanking the club members a thousand times when the visit was over. I believe that the reason why this visit was so special to me was because I wasn’t expecting so much excitement from the kids. To me Halloween was just another holiday were kids eat candy and dress up nicely, but for these kids it was much more than that, it was a day were they could pretend to be whoever they wanted to and forget about their illness for a moment. Its funny how simple actions like gathering old costumes from your house or learning a few halloween songs can mean so much to some and can make someone so happy.
Kantaya Storytelling Workshop
October 17, 2015
Learning Outcomes: Exploration
Reading comprehension is one of the most useful skills a student can possess. When one understands what he/she is reading then it makes it much easier to think critically, analytically, and reflect over what was read. The key to good reading comprehension is practice, and in order to do that one must enjoy reading. In this Kantaya workshop we decided to introduce kids to the gates of good reading comprehension by reading them some fun picture books. I believe it is important for kids to enjoy reading from a small age so then they get into the habit of reading constantly.
Before taking action we where required to plan in advance the workshop. After deciding we wanted to focus in reading, we formed teams of three and together chose a special book we wanted to read to the kids. The activity didn't only consist in reading the chosen book to the kids, yet after we asked the kids to draw their favorite scene or character of the book. By doing this we are testing the kid's attention to the text read, and their level of focus on the details. My group and I decided that in order to make the workshop even more interactive and fun, we would ask each kid to read a page of the book. This turned out great due to that all the kids where extremely excited to read and therefore payed even more attention to the story.
Overall it was a great experience to see the kids engaged in books and inspired by characters. I loved seeing kids find themselves through stories and fantasizing about what they want their lives to be. I believe that it is really important that these kids are not afraid of dreaming too big due to that if they work hard enough they can still make those dreams come true.
Learning Outcomes: Exploration
Reading comprehension is one of the most useful skills a student can possess. When one understands what he/she is reading then it makes it much easier to think critically, analytically, and reflect over what was read. The key to good reading comprehension is practice, and in order to do that one must enjoy reading. In this Kantaya workshop we decided to introduce kids to the gates of good reading comprehension by reading them some fun picture books. I believe it is important for kids to enjoy reading from a small age so then they get into the habit of reading constantly.
Before taking action we where required to plan in advance the workshop. After deciding we wanted to focus in reading, we formed teams of three and together chose a special book we wanted to read to the kids. The activity didn't only consist in reading the chosen book to the kids, yet after we asked the kids to draw their favorite scene or character of the book. By doing this we are testing the kid's attention to the text read, and their level of focus on the details. My group and I decided that in order to make the workshop even more interactive and fun, we would ask each kid to read a page of the book. This turned out great due to that all the kids where extremely excited to read and therefore payed even more attention to the story.
Overall it was a great experience to see the kids engaged in books and inspired by characters. I loved seeing kids find themselves through stories and fantasizing about what they want their lives to be. I believe that it is really important that these kids are not afraid of dreaming too big due to that if they work hard enough they can still make those dreams come true.
Kantaya Kookie Initiative
September 28, 2015
Learning Outcomes: Exploration, Collaboration
In order to contribute with some funds to the Kantaya organization, us, the members of the Kantaya club in FDR decided to create a fundraising project called Kantaya Kookies. The project consisted in a cookie bake sale where we sold small cookie boxes with five different flavored cookies inside. Each box costed 9 soles and provided three full days of quality education for a less fortunate kid who can't afford it.
The Issue:
Lack of education is one of the greatest problems that the peruvian society is facing. Parents can't afford to send their kids to school, and therefore many kids are deprived from the right to learn, being left with very few opportunities to follow their passions and succeed in life. I believe that education is the key to end up with poverty, the Kantaya club knows this well and this is why, after recognizing the global issue, we decided to create the Kantaya Kookies initiative where we raise funds to provide education for kids in the poorest areas of Lima.
My Participation:
I served as a volunteer in this initiative, and was involved in planning the logistics and baking chocolate chip cookies. In order to achieve my chores effectively I required good collaboration and communication skills. The whole planning and logistics was done involving more than ten people, all ideas where taken into consideration and analyzed, and then the more popular ideas were pitched and voted on. When baking the cookies, there were some regulations that had to be followed. For example, I was required to bake 60 5cm diameter chocolate chip cookies in one day. The reason why I managed to succeed in this task was because I organized my time wisely and was constantly communicating with the other members to check on how the cookies should be made. Finally I also participated in the selling of the cookie boxes. I was required to come in during lunch and work with a co-seller.
Learning Outcomes: Exploration, Collaboration
In order to contribute with some funds to the Kantaya organization, us, the members of the Kantaya club in FDR decided to create a fundraising project called Kantaya Kookies. The project consisted in a cookie bake sale where we sold small cookie boxes with five different flavored cookies inside. Each box costed 9 soles and provided three full days of quality education for a less fortunate kid who can't afford it.
The Issue:
Lack of education is one of the greatest problems that the peruvian society is facing. Parents can't afford to send their kids to school, and therefore many kids are deprived from the right to learn, being left with very few opportunities to follow their passions and succeed in life. I believe that education is the key to end up with poverty, the Kantaya club knows this well and this is why, after recognizing the global issue, we decided to create the Kantaya Kookies initiative where we raise funds to provide education for kids in the poorest areas of Lima.
My Participation:
I served as a volunteer in this initiative, and was involved in planning the logistics and baking chocolate chip cookies. In order to achieve my chores effectively I required good collaboration and communication skills. The whole planning and logistics was done involving more than ten people, all ideas where taken into consideration and analyzed, and then the more popular ideas were pitched and voted on. When baking the cookies, there were some regulations that had to be followed. For example, I was required to bake 60 5cm diameter chocolate chip cookies in one day. The reason why I managed to succeed in this task was because I organized my time wisely and was constantly communicating with the other members to check on how the cookies should be made. Finally I also participated in the selling of the cookie boxes. I was required to come in during lunch and work with a co-seller.
PGC Outreach 1 - Dealing With Trouble
September 15, 2015
Learning Outcomes: Perseverance
This past week I feel like I've got a sense of what its like to be a teacher. My co-leader and I had our first outreach with our Freshmen group, we are striving to give them the best possible experience we can, but of course its hard to deal with a group of 15 9th graders who don't necessarily want to be there. The first challenge we encountered was trying to get their attention, it was hard to get them to engage in an activity or reflection for more than ten minutes. Sharon and I had a dilemma because we didn't really want to come out as bossy, but instead appear as a friend to them, but it was really hard to make them follow instructions without giving them orders. Every time our Freshmen started getting distracted, I struggled with having to tell them to pay attention, after all I don't want to sound as a teacher or parent, but instead like a friend or role model. On the other hand, I think I never realized how hard it is to speak for a full forty-five minutes, and keep your audience engaged and participating. In this particular PGC outreach we had, there was a lot of discussion and reflection involved as opposed to others where we do more energized activities. I struggled particularly with finding the right balance between talking and letting them talk; there where times where I felt as if they where getting bored of hearing me talk, but at the same they weren't open to a lot of discussion. Overall this first outreach has been hard, but I have taken it as an experience from which I'll learn to improve for the next outreach. After this session I feel like I've got to know most of my Freshmen group, but I still want to continue to get to know them better so they can trust me and open up to me.
Learning Outcomes: Perseverance
This past week I feel like I've got a sense of what its like to be a teacher. My co-leader and I had our first outreach with our Freshmen group, we are striving to give them the best possible experience we can, but of course its hard to deal with a group of 15 9th graders who don't necessarily want to be there. The first challenge we encountered was trying to get their attention, it was hard to get them to engage in an activity or reflection for more than ten minutes. Sharon and I had a dilemma because we didn't really want to come out as bossy, but instead appear as a friend to them, but it was really hard to make them follow instructions without giving them orders. Every time our Freshmen started getting distracted, I struggled with having to tell them to pay attention, after all I don't want to sound as a teacher or parent, but instead like a friend or role model. On the other hand, I think I never realized how hard it is to speak for a full forty-five minutes, and keep your audience engaged and participating. In this particular PGC outreach we had, there was a lot of discussion and reflection involved as opposed to others where we do more energized activities. I struggled particularly with finding the right balance between talking and letting them talk; there where times where I felt as if they where getting bored of hearing me talk, but at the same they weren't open to a lot of discussion. Overall this first outreach has been hard, but I have taken it as an experience from which I'll learn to improve for the next outreach. After this session I feel like I've got to know most of my Freshmen group, but I still want to continue to get to know them better so they can trust me and open up to me.
Fashion That Collaborates
September 7, 2015
Learning Outcomes: Skills, profile What is "El Rastrillo"?: El Rastrillo is an anual event hosted by "Asociación de Hogares Nuevo Futuro Perú", with the purpose of raising funds for charity. By contributing to "El Rastrillo" you are contributing to five residential centers that take in and maintain kids with and without disabilities who have been abandoned. On the other hand, the money fundraised in this event goes to the program that prevents parents from abandoning their kids in the most rural areas in Perú. http://www.elrastrillo.pe/rastrillo.php My Participation: One of the most popular events in "El Rastrillo" is the opening ceremony fashion show. This year I was asked to contribute by serving as a model for the designer "Ani Alvarez - Calderón", one of the greatest fashion designers in Lima. Being this my first time doing something like this, I was challenged by all the requirements I was asked to follow in order to complete this task. It's always hard to put on some high heels and walk in a runway in front of hundreds of people, specially if you are a shy person like me. As hard as this was for me to do this, I enjoy thinking that I was contributing with my participation to a great cause. Overall I loved being part of this fashion show, I'm fascinated with the idea that all the people working there are doing it for free, and with the only motivation of raising funds and helping their community by doing what they love the most. |
Kantaya Peruvian Geography Workshop
September 4, 2015
Learning Outcomes: Exploration
Learning Outcomes: Exploration
PGC Field Day
September 2, 2015
Learning Outcomes: Collaboration and Initiative
Last Thursday, the PGC field day took place. During this event, the whole Freshmen class and the PGC leaders take a field trip to Cieneguilla. During this field trip, each PGC group does a lot of getting to know each other activities, and plays a lot of team-building games with the purpose of creating bonds within the members of each group. This is a key event in the PGC timeline, due to that it’s the day where the leaders get to meet and interact with their Freshmen group for the first time.
As typical new leaders, Sharon and I where really nervous and had a lot of doubts about how we should approach our Freshmen group. The environment at first was really stiff, and the Freshmen appeared as really shy with us. It was evident that if we where going to be working with the Freshmen for the whole semester, someone would have to break the ice. Sharon and I being the leaders in the group had to take the initiative and reach out to them. I knew the Freshmen weren’t going to come to me, and therefore I felt as if it were my responsibility to approach them. Sharon and I thought it would be better if we approached them as peers, and so we did.
I decided to initiate my approach in two ways; the first one was independently and the second one as a group. I started introducing myself to each of the Freshmen in my group independently with the mission of starting a conversation and getting to know each one of them. On the other hand I also wanted them to get to know me, and be certain that they can always approach me for anything. My second approach consisted of me creating discussion in the group conversations. I tried to chose topics that would be fun and all of us could relate to in order to start building connections and encourage discussion.
This getting to know each other process wasn’t easy at all for me due to that I’m not the type of person who usually approaches others and starts conversation easy. Never the less I was really glad I took the initiative to reach out to my Freshmen due to that it was the fastest way to break the ice between us and create a culture of trust within the group.
Learning Outcomes: Collaboration and Initiative
Last Thursday, the PGC field day took place. During this event, the whole Freshmen class and the PGC leaders take a field trip to Cieneguilla. During this field trip, each PGC group does a lot of getting to know each other activities, and plays a lot of team-building games with the purpose of creating bonds within the members of each group. This is a key event in the PGC timeline, due to that it’s the day where the leaders get to meet and interact with their Freshmen group for the first time.
As typical new leaders, Sharon and I where really nervous and had a lot of doubts about how we should approach our Freshmen group. The environment at first was really stiff, and the Freshmen appeared as really shy with us. It was evident that if we where going to be working with the Freshmen for the whole semester, someone would have to break the ice. Sharon and I being the leaders in the group had to take the initiative and reach out to them. I knew the Freshmen weren’t going to come to me, and therefore I felt as if it were my responsibility to approach them. Sharon and I thought it would be better if we approached them as peers, and so we did.
I decided to initiate my approach in two ways; the first one was independently and the second one as a group. I started introducing myself to each of the Freshmen in my group independently with the mission of starting a conversation and getting to know each one of them. On the other hand I also wanted them to get to know me, and be certain that they can always approach me for anything. My second approach consisted of me creating discussion in the group conversations. I tried to chose topics that would be fun and all of us could relate to in order to start building connections and encourage discussion.
This getting to know each other process wasn’t easy at all for me due to that I’m not the type of person who usually approaches others and starts conversation easy. Never the less I was really glad I took the initiative to reach out to my Freshmen due to that it was the fastest way to break the ice between us and create a culture of trust within the group.
PGC Retreat - Becoming A Leader
August 24, 2015
Learning Outcomes: Collaboration, profile Last semester I decided to join the PGC leaders group. I went through a long and selective application process, but luckily I was selected as one of the 20 PGC leaders. As PGC leaders we have the role and responsibility to serve as a role model to the current Freshmen class. Not only do we help them by setting a good example, but also each one of us is assigned to a specific group of Freshmen with who we meet weekly and create a community of trust. This weekend was the PGC retreat and leadership workshops. This intense weekend was full of emotions and realizations. Leadership has always been a skill I’ve struggled with, I am definitely not a natural leader, but in order to help the Freshmen properly I knew I would have to become one. In the three days of the retreat I feel like I’ve grown so much in that area, for starters, I found myself collaborating with people I didn’t know at all, we each had times to lead and times to follow. It’s very important for a leader to have a balance between giving orders and listening to ideas, in the retreat we where able to practice different types of leaderships and then discuss which one was the |
most effective. It’s amazing how much someone can change or grow when they are willing to get out of their comfort zones and push themselves to the unknown. This happened to me, four days ago I considered myself a follower, now I don’t know if I can say the same. I’m really excited to start the PGC adventure!