The team of four volunteers–Elena, Shelly, Michael, and Kimberly–arrived to Rabinal during the first week of July where we were greeted with a warm welcome that included a tour of our partner school Fundación Nueva Esperanza, and a student performance of the dance-drama called “Rabinal Achi”. The students, dressed in the traditional costumes of the Rabinal-Achí dance, gave their performance entirely in the Achí language. Afterwords, Prefesor Baudilio, one of the FNE teachers, gave us a translation and interpretation the dance which commemorates an ancient battle between the Achí and neighboring Quiché peoples.
In the afternoon, we met the new group of scholarships recipients that we will be working with throughout the summer. Our first session focused on shared values. Without glossing over the differences that make our cultures unique, we discussed the values and beliefs that we all share. Together, we reflected on the importance of responsibility, solidarity, dignity, commitment, and cultural identity, and how we could put these values in practice through the Voces y Manos program.
After our discussion of shared values, we started our first unit of the 11-week program: inter-culturality. Volunteers, students, and Voces y Manos staff all brought in cultural artifacts to share that represented their family, community and culture.
Students then prepared beautiful presentations for their parents. These parents’ presentations were an opportunity for students’ mothers and fathers to learn about the Voces y Manos program, meet our staff and volunteers, and have the opportunity to celebrate our distinct cultures which make us unique, yet at the same time, bind us all together.
In the afternoon, we met the new group of scholarships recipients that we will be working with throughout the summer. Our first session focused on shared values. Without glossing over the differences that make our cultures unique, we discussed the values and beliefs that we all share. Together, we reflected on the importance of responsibility, solidarity, dignity, commitment, and cultural identity, and how we could put these values in practice through the Voces y Manos program.
After our discussion of shared values, we started our first unit of the 11-week program: inter-culturality. Volunteers, students, and Voces y Manos staff all brought in cultural artifacts to share that represented their family, community and culture.
Students then prepared beautiful presentations for their parents. These parents’ presentations were an opportunity for students’ mothers and fathers to learn about the Voces y Manos program, meet our staff and volunteers, and have the opportunity to celebrate our distinct cultures which make us unique, yet at the same time, bind us all together.
One Response
These are great and critical for V y M. Please keep doing it. Jeff 🙂
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