From January to March, I offered a series of anti-violence art workshops for children ages 6-12. Totaling seven
talleres (workshops) in all, each had a different topic and art project or activity. Subjects included: definition of violence, different types, the violence cycle, managing conflict, tolerance and diversity, war and peace, etc. “
Estuvo muy bonito y fue un gran encuentro,” (“It was very pretty and a great experience,”) said Kayna, one of the 15 participants in the program. In a country where
machismo and domestic violence are still rampant, as well as racial intolerance and discrimination, it’s important to educate and diversity and the prevention of violence, beginning at home. For me, the best part of the program was the field trip we took to Nicoya, where nearly 50 kids from all around the region of Guanacaste congregated for a day of art: theater, music, including drums and rap, crafts, games, and other activities. These kids rarely leave the communities they live in and seldom experience the camaraderie of other children. They grow up with a limited perspective and vision and it means so much to be able to expand that, even just a little bit. The field trip was undoubtedly the most popular part of the program (as much as the kids loved painting with me, a bus trip to Nicoya will win every time!), but the most important was the knowledge they took home with them at the end of the day.
Also worthy of mention is my encounter with
el presidente de la República. Yes, that’s right, I met the president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize winner,
Oscar Arias. Selected as a representative for Peace Corps at the 40th Anniversary of DINADECO (National Directive of Community Development and my official counterpart), I was present throughout day to field questions about the program and thus missed the president’s speech on the governmental changes he hoped to implement. (For example, my program is a part of the Ministry of Security, while it should be under Social Services. DINADECO is severely under-funded and thus quite understaffed, which makes keeping track of over 450 associations nationwide a bit of a challenge.) In any case, the whole affair was an encounter to remember.
From January to March, I offered a series of anti-violence art workshops for children ages 6-12. Totaling seven talleres (workshops) in all, each had a different topic and art project or activity. Subjects included: definition of violence, different types, the violence cycle, managing conflict, tolerance and diversity, war and peace, etc. “Estuvo muy bonito y fue un gran encuentro,” (“It was very pretty and a great experience,”) said Kayna, one of the 15 participants in the program. In a country where machismo and domestic violence are still rampant, as well as racial intolerance and discrimination, it’s important to educate and diversity and the prevention of violence, beginning at home. For me, the best part of the program was the field trip we took to Nicoya, where nearly 50 kids from all around the region of Guanacaste congregated for a day of art: theater, music, including drums and rap, crafts, games, and other activities. These kids rarely leave the communities they live in and seldom experience the camaraderie of other children. They grow up with a limited perspective and vision and it means so much to be able to expand that, even just a little bit. The field trip was undoubtedly the most popular part of the program (as much as the kids loved painting with me, a bus trip to Nicoya will win every time!), but the most important was the knowledge they took home with them at the end of the day.
Also worthy of mention is my encounter with el presidente de la República. Yes, that’s right, I met the president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Oscar Arias. Selected as a representative for Peace Corps at the 40th Anniversary of DINADECO (National Directive of Community Development and my official counterpart), I was present throughout day to field questions about the program and thus missed the president’s speech on the governmental changes he hoped to implement. (For example, my program is a part of the Ministry of Security, while it should be under Social Services. DINADECO is severely under-funded and thus quite understaffed, which makes keeping track of over 450 associations nationwide a bit of a challenge.) In any case, the whole affair was an encounter to remember.
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