I WILL BE HOLDING AN INFORMATIONAL MEETING ON WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 20 AT 6PM IN THE SUNDERLAND LIBRARY COMMUNITY ROOM.
This is a chance for
you to come and meet with me and some of the trip-goers from last year
to ask questions and learn more about Amped for Education and the trip I
am organizing for this summer. I want to be able to give you
information and time to think before the money collection process begins
and we start planning.
Please spread the word to anyone else that you think may be interested and show up with questions for me and the group!
It’s
conservatively estimated by UNESCO that more than 100 million children
under 12 years old have zero access to education. As an educator, this
statistic is a humbling reminder of the privileges of US
citizenship. It has also served as motivation to spread awareness to my
family, friends and students. This motivation is materializing itself,
again, as a trip to Central America this summer. It is my hope that
others with a sense of adventure will take the opportunity to gain
once-in-a-lifetime experience through service while developing a dynamic
world-view. I plan to run a trip this summer with Frontier Regional
community.
We
will fly into Managua and spend the week thirty miles away in
Nicaragua’s sixth largest city and cultural capital, Granada. While
there, we will work with Amped for Education, an
organization that was founded three years ago by my friend, and local
teacher, Jeff Pluta. Last summer, our group had the opportunity to
observe and volunteer in a public high school in San Ignacio, a rural
barrio of 6,000 people a few miles from Granada. An important part of
this experience was meeting and building relationships with
international classmates, while gaining a greater understanding of what
“going to school” means in a global context. Amped for Education is planning on breaking ground this winter for a new school outside of Granada.
Educational opportunities include, but are not limited to:
· A
biology-oriented excursion through Nicaragua’s Las Isletas on Lake
Nicaragua or on Masaya Volcano with students from the San Ignacio
school.
· Opportunities to learn Spanish through immersion, as well as through lessons taught by a native speaker.
· Guided data analysis through looking at education and economic statistics of Central America.
· Learning
what obstacles other students around the globe overcome to get to
school through visiting and tutoring in a local school.
· Exploring poetry through visiting museums in Granada that celebrate famous Nicaraguan poet such as Ruben Dario.
· Take Spanish lessons at a local school.
· Journaling/blogging about social and cultural experiences while in-country.
In
Nicaragua, the western hemisphere’s second poorest country, education
is only compulsory until the sixth grade. With 500,000 primary-aged
students outside of the formal education system, this law is nearly
unenforceable because it cannot be implemented nationwide. Thus, any
government money used toward education is typically spent to create
elementary schools where children do not have access to one. With the
belief that individuals need critical thinking and problem solving
skills to better their society, Amped for Education focuses on
creating opportunities for students to continue their education beyond
the sixth grade, through the construction of schools and the partnering
with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Education to operate them.
Since it’s founding in December 2009, Amped for Education has
teamed with a local nonprofit organization in Nicaragua to identify
communities with successful primary schools in areas where no secondary
school exists. Together, they have completed construction of a high
school that opened in February 2011. Students there have such a
commitment to their education that they pledge to spend two extra hours
each day (four days per week) for extra tutoring. Amped for Education not
only focuses on constructing the school, but also ensuring the
infrastructure produces the best possible graduates by subsidizing the
teachers’ overtime pay, coordinating student sponsorships, and providing
school supplies and books to the classrooms. The school is non-secular
and certified local educators will teach a general curriculum. Local
contractors completed construction with help from Jeff Pluta and Amped for Education volunteers from 2010-2011.
Since then, they have also completed “home makeover” projects. Many homes are made of scrap pieces of plastic, so Amped for Education plans
to completely remake a home for a student with top attendance. Because
families often would rather see their child in the streets working for
the family, this incentivizes learning for students.
Last
summer, Jeff Pluta and I led a group of local students and recent high
school graduates to help raise the walls of two additional classrooms
for the primary school that feeds the high school that was built the
year before. As families in the community started to see the
opportunity that the secondary school was providing, attendance in the
primary school increased and new classrooms became necessary to
accommodate for the increase. The trip that I am planning for the
Frontier Regional community will be in conjunction with Jeff Pluta.
There are several things that parents should keep in mind when considering this unique opportunity:
This
is NOT a school-sponsored trip. Although I am a teacher at Frontier
Regional and many trip-goers may be students there, Frontier Regional
has absolutely no connection to this organization or trip whatsoever.
The
primary language in Nicaragua is Spanish. This is a great opportunity
for all to be immersed in another language. Whether you study Spanish or
not, everyone will certainly pick up some basic skills. While
elementary Spanish and key phrases are sufficient for our purposes, the
language should be noted. There are many people in Granada who speak
English well. Depending on perspective, Spanish being the primary
language could be hugely beneficial to the students, rather than a
hindrance.
While
Nicaragua is widely recognized as the safest country in Central America
and it has the lowest violent crime rate of any country in Central or
South America, the State Department recognizes some political divisions
among its people and warns against Americans attending any political
rallies in the country. Rest assured, we won’t be attending any
political rallies!
Depending on how long we go, an 8-day trip would likely not cost more than $1,650 including flight, accommodations, meals, day excursions, and ground transportation. However, this number is subject to change. We
will stay in dorm-style, hostel type accommodations. We are looking at
the middle to end of August for our trip. The exact cost of the trip
will be released in January at the very latest.
If
you think this might be an opportunity worth seriously talking about,
please feel free to be in touch with me by phone or email. Rather than
answer individual questions, we’d like to get anyone who might be
interested together to discuss more details of what this trip would look
like. We are holding an informational meeting on November 20. Please
kindly RSVP if you’d like to join to find out more about this
opportunity!
Thanks,
Joe Costello
Jeff Pluta
