Newsletter
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November 19th 2011
It's been a while since you last received a newsletter from us. We apologize for this. We want you to know that the team in El Salvador has been working hard all this time, and they are eager to tell you more about it. We are working on a new newsletter format that will hopefully be launched before Christmas! But before then I'd like to share some great news with you all:
Great news 1
On November 8th we received an award from the Government of El Salvador. It's called "Amigo de El Salvador" and is given to people around the world who are considered to have contributed to the Salvadoran society and fostered the relationships between El Salvador and other nations. From my point of view, this award is for everyone involved from the birth of the organization in 2008 up until today. The award was handed over personally by the Minister of External Relations of El Salvador, Hugo Martínez, during his visit to Stockholm. A big thank you to the Embassy of El Salvador for this amazing nomination! See photos here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150921098040024.749571.607940023&type=1&l=4abc76d765
Great news 2
The Salvadoran team has successfully executed closing ceremonies for another two workshop groups in Santa Tecla! The passion and dedication that they show is incredible. You will hear more from them in the next newsletter, where you will also see pictures from the occasion!
Great news 3
The latest inspection of our resources showed that we have 20 310 SEK to put into the next season of the project Reading for the Future and other activities! It's amazing to see how much we manage to achieve with very little resources, although a growth of the project would of course call for more. You will learn more about the plans for the upcoming season in the next newsletter.
If you know already now that you want to support us in 2012, don't hesitate to pay the membership fee of 100 SEK to PG 48 84 49-0. For more information on donations or to pay from outside of Sweden, please visit http://www.schoolsforthefuture.org/supportus.html.
Don't hesitate to contact me or anyone in the Executive Committee with any questions or ideas!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!
March 14th 2011
The second year of the project Reading for the Future kicked off! Weekly workshops are again taking place for groups of children aged 10-13 at two schools in urban Santa Tecla and one school in rural Apopa, all of them partner schools in the past year.
Stay tuned for photos and news on Facebook, Twitter and www.schoolsforthefuture.org!
December 19th 2010
Dear friends and members of Schools for the Future!
Incredibly enough, 2010 is already coming to an end. This has been a fantastic year for us, and with this newsletter I want to wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! I have created a Merry Christmas album with some snapshots from the 2010 activities here.
IT ALL HAPPENED THANKS TO YOUR SUPPORT!!
Some highlights from 2010:
The first pilot year of the project Reading for the Future was realized with great results at four schools in El Salvador.
An amazing local team was set up in El Salvador, making the continuation of the project possible.
Cooperations with the Municipality of Santa Tecla, the Salvadoran Ministry of Education and the University Dr. José Matías Delgado, among others, were successfully initiated.
The NGO Central America Foundation for Rural Education Development (CAFRED) invited the project to their school in El Olimpo.
Students and teachers at the Swedish high school Östra Real collected money for the project.
People all over the world showed interest in using our methodology in their countries.
Newspapers in Sweden and El Salvador published articles about us.
We got our first organizational member; "Biblioteksstöd till Centralamerika" ("Library support for Central America")
Our website attracted almost 5000 visitors during 2010, and more than 700 people from all over the world are following us on Facebook.
The project Reading for the Future will, with your help, continue and expand in 2011!
Again, please follow this link to have a look at the Merry Christmas photo album that I created
We are looking forward to 2011, determined to make it an even more successful year for Schools for the Future! Find out how you can support us here: http://www.schoolsforthefuture.org/supportus.html. We welcome new members and donors.
I WISH YOU ALL A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS AND A FANTASTIC 2011!!
With warm regards from a snowy Stockholm, through the Executive Committee,
Minna Levin
President, Schools for the Future
May 22nd 2010
WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF THE FIRST PILOT PHASE?
After almost two years of planning and four months of hard work in El Salvador, the first pilot phase has now come to an end. The evaluation process has just begun. All participants, their parents/caretakers, teachers, school principals and facilitators have been interviewed, and the final evaluation report will be published in July/August. However, I want to share some conclusions with you already now:
- All participants, their families, teachers, school principals and facilitators claim to be extremely happy with the project and want to continue with the second phase.
- All participants and their parents say that the kids are more interested in reading now than before the project started. Several of the kids told us that in the past, they only read if they had to as a part of their school assignments. Now, they vounteerily look for books to read in their spare time. "I remember what you said about books being our friends. Now, if I feel sad or if I'm bored, I grab a book and start reading", as one girl puts it. The facilitators have also observed a great advance regarding the reading level of the participants during the project.
- Teamwork, non-violence and value games and exercises seem to have paid off on a short term. All participants claim that the group environment has improved during the project, and many acknowledge a change in their own behaviour. That's also something that the facilitators have observed. As one boy says: "Yes, I have changed. Before, I used to hurt other kids physically, now I'm more respectful towards others". An older sister to one of the participants shares: "I've seen how the communication within our family has improved during this project. We almost never talked, and now she tells us a lot about what you've been doing in the workshops and she asks for help with her school assignments".
- Our "LIfe Plan" work has had an impact on the kids. One of the orphanage workers told me, regarding one of our orphan girls: "One day she started to ask me what I thought she would be doing in 20 years... When I came to the closing ceremony and saw her life plan I understood why!". Both parents and teachers also claim that they've seen a change in the participants when it comes to study motivation and completing school assignments.
- The participants have discovered talents no one ever acknowledged before the project. Some of the most "restless" kids have shown extraordinary talent in narrative writing, drawing and drama. One of the girls, who is an orphan, would have a good chance of entering in one of the Salvadoran schools for students talented in writing.
You find pics from the closing ceremonies here:
Group 1:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=426626&id=607940023&l=2e7b46dfef
Group 2:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=427612&id=607940023&l=e5991ac587
Group 3:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=428749&id=607940023&l=760cef1ecf
WILL THE PROJECT CONTINUE?
Yes, the project will continue and expand even though I now leave El Salvador. Our new local project manager is the Savadoran Luis Alvarenga, who is responsible for the coordination of the project and for reporting to the Executive Committee in Sweden. During the first phase, we developed a strong team of dedicated, reliable local volunteers who will continue with two of the three groups, every Friday as before. Furthermore, two more schools and two more groups will be added to the project. These new schools are situated in rural areas, which is a new challenge for the project. Up until now, we've only been working in urban areas. Altogether, four groups consisting of totally 40 children aged 11-13 will be receiving weekly workshops until the end of the Salvadoran academic year in October. After that, we have a lot of schools waiting for us to start working with them, too. Furthermore, we will start training teachers and more facilitators in our methodology in the future. Hopefully, the methodology will spread also to other parts of the world (including Sweden).
WHO SUPPORTS US?
The project is financed by donations from friends and members of Schools for the Future around the world. The cost of the first phase was approximately $1400 (about ten thousand SEK). All donations were spent on direct project costs such as books, material, snacks and bus transport for local facilitators. Flight tickets, food and accomodation for me as a project manager was financed privately. All people involved work as volunteers without any financial compensation. We believe that we've proven that a very small amount of money can make a significant difference and lead to sustainable project development.
Examples of local partners helping us with certain material, facilities, field trip transport, PR etc. are our co-operating schools, the Municipality of Santa Tecla, The Salvadoran Ministry of Education, the companies Grupo AGRISAL, Diszasa and Editorial TMR, Fundación Empresarial para el Desarrollo Educativo and Central American Foundation for Rural Education Development.
CAN I HELP?
Yes, of course you can! The more the project expand, the more funds we need. If you wish to support us in our work, do not hesitate to become a member of Schools for the Future, or to send us a donation. Or maybe you know of a school that would like to cooperate with us and support our work in El Salvador? You find all information
here: http://www.schoolsforthefuture.org/Howtosupportus.html
I kindly ask you all to write me any comments, ideas or doubts that might come to your mind. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND SUPPORT!!!
April 14th 2010
SCHOOLS FOR THE FUTURE IN THE MEDIA
The Santa Tecla newspaper De Primera published a full page article about the project in the latest issue, based on a visit to one of our workshops. We even covered the fontpage! Read the article here (in Spanish): http://www.deprimeraonline.com/index.php. Thank you Tony Carbonero for a great reportage!http://www.deprimeraonline.com/index.php. Thank you Tony Carbonero for a great reportage!
The Uppsala student newspaper Ergo published an article by me about the project in the latest issue. Read it online here (in Swedish):http://www.ergo.nu/nyheter/20100331-ronja-star-upp-mot-valdet. Thank you Ergo!
FIELD TRIP TO EL BOQUERÓN
Last Saturday we went on a field trip with the kids and their families to volcán San Salvador and the crater and national park El Boquerón. The objective of the trip was to foment positive relations within and between families and to promote environmental consciousness. One appreciated activity was the reading of stories from “Cuentos de la selva” by Horacio Quiroga, right there on the top of the volcano! It was an amazing experience watching parents and children reading together, and at the same time admiring the scenic view of the crater in one direction, and that of San Salvador in the other.
See photos from the field trip here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=407933&id=607940023&l=2ad507f7e9
Video clips:
Bus ride with a great view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HraqBr2yPIc
Getting to the volcano: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdbupjXtoAQ
The crater: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkHbDeJMPHI
Families reading: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb8MbvMzrI8
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS
The parents of our participants have been a great help in making us understand the short-term impact of the project after just a couple of months of activities. As one dad told us: “Nowadays when my daughter has some spare time at home, she picks up a book and starts reading. That never happened before.”
LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY
The best news of them all: The local facilitators are very enthusiastic about continuing with the workshops, and even start new groups, during the rest of this academic year (until October). That means that the activities will go on even after I’ve gone back to Sweden, and I will keep supporting the team from there and at the same time work on the planning of the long-term continuation of the project. It’s absolutely fantastic that the project already now has the capacity to go on and develop without my presence, because that would mean that our most important principle of SUSTAINABILITY is being fulfilled.
BUT WE NEED YOUR HELP! IN ORDER TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE LOCAL FACILITATORS TO CONTINUE WITH THE ACTIVITIES, WE NEED MORE FUNDS. I ESTIMATE THAT WE NEED APPROXIMATELY $800 (6 000 SEK) IN ORDER TO GO ON SUCESSFULLY UNTIL OCTOBER 2010. ALL MONEY WILL BE USED TO PURCHASE MORE BOOKS, MATERIAL AND TO COVER LOCAL TRANSPORT COSTS.
If you can and want, please send your donation to PG 48 84 49-0 (from Sweden) or to this PayPal account (from abroad): http://www.schoolsforthefuture.org/Howtosupportus.html. If you wish to become a member, you can find out how on that same page.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND SUPPORT!
March 8th 2010
DREAM TEAM
We're proud to announce that we're now working actively with all three pilot groups! The team of facilitators consists of me and three excellent volonteering co-workers; Natalia, Cristabel and Luis. Natalia is 26 years old, and has relevant experience from working in an alphabetization project for women. Cristabel, 31, is a teacher and has also been working in the same alphabetization project. Luis is 21 years old and is studying communication at the university. It's a real dream team, and it's amazing how everyone's contributing with invaluable ideas, experiences and inspiration! Without them, we wouldn't see half of the success that we've achieved so far. To compensate at least a little bit for all their hard work, I've started to give them English lessons, which is good not only for them but also for the future of the project. I really can't express how much I appreciate these people, and all the other people (especially Roy and Enriqueta) helping out with this and that.
VOICES FROM THE PROJECT
"I love books and they fascinate me, because they teach me things and they're like friends." - Monica, 12
"Books give me the sense of happiness, because when I read I get totally absorbed and I forget about all the problems that a teenager has to face daily." Kriscia, 15
"Do we have to get back already? Let´s stay here the rest of the day...and the night, too!" - María, 12
"What I want to do in the project is to read more in order to learn more and be somebody in life." - Gladys, 15
"Today I learned to keep on struggling, because outside this community there's an exciting life waiting for me." - Kriscia, 15
OUR THREE PILOT GROUPS
Group 1: Eleven girls aged 11-12, at the public school Centro Escolar Margarita Durán in Santa Tecla
Total number of workshops during the entire project period: 16
See pics from one of the workshops here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=384254&id=607940023&l=683d48029e
Group 2: Five girls and six boys aged 11-12, at the public school Centro Escolar Refugio de la Paz in Santa Tecla
Total number of workshops during the entire project period: 10
See pics from one of the workshops here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=391094&id=607940023&l=e9e8cf0a99
Group 3: Five girls and five boys aged 15-16 at the public school Complejo Educatico Católico Fe y Alegría in San Salvador
Total number of workshops during the entire project period: 5
See pics from one of the workshops here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=385814&id=607940023&l=7c1c51d97a
PLANS FOR THE UPCOMING WEEKS
- To keep on reading "Ronja, la hija del bandolero", "Alex Dogboy", "La hija del puma", "Cuentos de la selva" and "Colin y los monos" according to the stage of each group.
- To bring in expertise from the theatre community, in order to work with that creative art of expressing and reflecting.
- To take the two groups in Santa Tecla, and their parents, on an excursion to El Boquerón, the volcano of San Salvador, with it's important flora and fauna and amazing views over the city.
- To start working with the "Life Plan"; an individual map of the future that each participant will be developing during the project.
- To keep on bringing in foreigners to talk about their life and culture. One group recently had visitors from Denmark!
- To start planning a literature event with the book store La Ceiba.
- ...and more!!
February 22nd 2010
Last Friday, we realized our fourth workshop with our first group of 5th graders in the Palacio tecleño de la cultura y las artes. We practiced the democratic process by suggesting and voting about a group name (the majority voted for “Las Chicas de la Lectura” = “The Reading girls”), and then we planted a seed as a symbol for the development of the group during the project. After that, we finished reading the book “Colin y los monos” by Monica Zak in smaller groups.
Last Saturday, we arranged a meeting for the parents/caretakers of the participants of this group, also at this beautiful place in Santa Tecla, in order to incorporate them into the project. Representatives for seven of the eleven girls showed up, which is a really good outcome. Three girls accompanied their parents to the meeting, and they helped us present the project activities, values and the books we’re reading. The meeting was very successful, and through group dynamics, chats in smaller groups and (of course!) coffee, an environment of mutual trust and communication was created between the parents and us as facilitators.
Good news is also that we have initiated cooperation with the Salvadoran Ministry of Education and with Grupo AGRISAL and Diszasa, two of the most successful companies in El Salvador and the region, among others. Our network is growing stronger every day!
Photos from the last two workshops with the kids are found here:
Workshop 4:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=384254&id=607940023&l=683d48029e
Workshop 3:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=380531&id=607940023&l=a94ca5bd85
Some video clips are found here:
Reading “Colin y los monos”, workshop 3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dTLweq-oT0
Group dynamic, workshop 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBp3MQdZb3s
This week, we will start working with a group of ten students in 9th grade at the school Fe y Alegría in La Chacra, San Salvador. La Chacra is one of the neighborhoods of San Salvador that suffers most from violence. Two of the biggest criminal gangs (so called “maras”), Mara Salvatrucha and Mara 18, are fighting for the same territory, and the school and the community are situated in the middle of this conflict. Living in a situation like that, everyone has some kind of relationship to either one of the gangs. We will visit La Chacra five times during the project, thus developing a different methodology adapted for that age group and social situation. We will also start working with a second group of 5th graders in Santa Tecla, with a mix of girls and boys. The aim of that pilot group is to compare it to the group of only girls that we already have. This means that we will have three pilot groups in total, representing two very different age groups and neighbourhoods.
January 29th, 2010
Our first workshop on Friday the 29th of January was a success! Nine girls aged ten to twelve attended the workshop at the Palacio tecleño de la cultura y las artes, a beautiful, recently renovated cultural centre a couple of blocks from their school. The workshop was 1,5 hour long, during school hours, and consisted of various elements. Drinks and fruits were served. Two instructors (Natalia and I) were facilitating the activities, and a communication student, Luis, was filming and and taking photos.
Photos are available here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=374938&id=607940023&l=6903f0c21b
Some vides clips are available here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBp3MQdZb3s (group dynamic)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhwORJn921s (saying goodbye)
This first workshop was dedicated to the welcoming the girls to the project and making them excited to participate these four months to come. Together with the girls, we listed all activities we will be doing (read, write, listen, draw, travel, play, enjoy, etc.), and the girls got to brainstorm "normas de convivencia", norms for the group atmosphere (respect each other, not fight, laugh, pay attention, etc.). We also did some group dynamics in order to create a playful atmosphere and get to know each other in new ways.
Another exercise was "Guess what I am", in which the girls got three statements and were to guess what these characteristics where describing (a book). I explained why books are my best friends. Then, the four books that we are going to use in this group were presented (Cuentos de la selvaby Horacio Quiroga, Colin y los monos by Monica Zak, Ronja, la hija del bandolero by Astrid Lindgren and Alex Dogboy by Monica Zak.
The main character of each book was presented in order to make them and their environment vivid and real to the girls. "Arpías", "gnomos culones" and "enanos grises" (vildvittror, rumpnissar, grådvärgar) from Ronja generated a lot of laughing in particular! The characters were all eager to tell their stories to the girls, and the girls were all eager to get to know more! One story in Cuentos de la selva ("Las medias de los flamencos") was read in the end of the workshop, and then discussed. All participants were listening carefully, and they all seemed to really enjoy the story. The discussion afterwards focused on animals and the environment. "Why should we respect animals?" one of the girls asked. "Because animals have the same feelings as humans" another girl responded.
Lastly, the girls got paper and pencil and answered some evaluation questions. What did you like most today? What did you like less? Do you like reading books? Why/why not? What do you want to do next time? Most paticipants answered that they liked everything, disliked nothing, that they do like reading books because it is fun/they learn from it/books are like friends, and that they want to draw next time! The written evaluations are, of course, extremely important to us, and will be a permanent element of each workshop. They reflect not only the thoughts and development in reflection of each participant, but also the level of writing and spelling skills etc.
November 19th, 2009
Presentation at Internationella Biblioteket in Stockholm
Schools for the Future was invited by the non-profit organization Biblioteksstöd till Centralamerika to give a presentation about our project in El Salvador at Internationella Biblioteket in Stockholm. Approximately 25 people attented the event. The documentary "Rufina's Long Wait" by Birgitta Öjersson and Bo Levin was shown as a part of the presentation. Many useful contacts were established, and almost 1000 SEK was collected and given as a donation to Schools for the Future!
November 18th, 2009
Cooperation started with Östra Reals Gymnasium in Stockholm!
35 high school students at Östra Real attended a lecture about Schools for the Future and our project in El Salvador. The award winning documentary "Rufina's Long Wait" was shown as a part of the session. The response to the project was very positive, and both teachers and students are willing to start an exchange between Östra Real and our Salvadoran project schools!
June 9th, 2009
Schools for the Future met Swedish high school students at Lundellska skolan in Uppsala!
Schools for the Future gave two successful lectures at the high school Lundellska skolan in Uppsala. The students, all 16 to 17 years old, were shown the documentary "Rufina's Long Wait", a film by Birgitta Öjersson and Bo Levin about the El Mozote Massacre in El Salvador during the civil war, and got to know more about how the violent history of the country is affecting today's society. Our literature project was presented and discussed, and the response from the students was very positive!
May 6th, 2009
Meeting peace and conflict students and organizations!
Schools for the Future attended the networking event Career Day, organized by Pax et Bellum at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University. Other participating organizations were UNIFEM, Folke Bernadotte Academy, International IDEA and Fredsmuseum, among others.
April 22nd, 2009
Successful lecture at Uppsala University!
13 sharp people attended the lecture Preventing Violence against Children and Youth - the example of Schools for the Future in El Salvador at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University. Lecturer Minna Levin focused on children's and young people's vulnerability to multi-level violence and the role of Schools for the Future in the country. A 25 minutes documentary by Birgitta Öjersson and Bo Levin about the Mozote Massacre was shown as an introduction to the contemporary history of El Salvador and the challenges of post-war reconstruction. Minna also shared some experiences as an international observer in the historic presidential election in March this year, discussing its immediate implications for the Salvadoran society. A big THANK YOU to Pax et Bellum for inviting us, and of course to all participants! Meet us again at the Career Day at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research on May the 6th! www.paxetbellum.org
April 2nd, 2009
A lot of useful contacts gained at AIESEC conference!
We had the opportunity to give a 60 min workshop at the AIESEC conference Empower 2009 in Kista, Stockholm. 30 inspiring people attended the workshop, and duing the mingle lunch we got to talk to many of the other 100 delegates from all over the world.
Want to do an internship with Schools for the Future in El Salvador? Take a look at the internship description.
March 26th, 2009
Minna Levin is back in Sweden after a successful two months of preparations in El Salvador. The project preparations will now continue in Sweden, El Salvador and internationally. Next step is a donation campaign starting in May. Campaign coordinators in El Salvador are Roy Campos and Claudia Torres. Campaign coordinator in Sweden is Minna Levin. You are welcome to contact us if you are interested in helping out or support us in any way during the campaign!
Minna: minna@schoolsforthefuture.org
Roy: roy@schoolsforthefuture.org
Claudia: claudia@schoolsforthefuture.org
February 3rd, 2009
Minna Levin is now in El Salvador, working with the preparatory stage of the Project Reading for the Future/Leyendo para el Futuro. She will also serve as observer in the presidential elections in March. Follow her work on her blog! More information about the project is available here. Also, take a look in our photo gallery.
January 11th, 2009
The organization's first regular Annual Meeting has been executed! The Executive Committee for 2009 was elected, and regulations, activity plan and budget and policy document were revised and stipulated. The documents are available here.
The Executive Committee of 2009 consists of Minna Levin (president), Fredrik Berggren (vice president/secretary) and Karin Johansson (treasurer).
We are confident that 2009 will be a year of progress, expansion and development, and we are ready to work hard in order to achieve and exceed the goals set in the Activity Plan 2009.
January 2nd, 2009
Schools for the Future wishes everyone a Happy New Year! A photo gallery has now been added to the homepage, showing pictures from El Salvador. More photos will be added throughout the project, starting in February.
November 13th, 2008
Check out our president Minna's blog, where reflections on El Salvador and our literature project Reading for the Future are regularly updated! The blog was created when Minna went to El Salvador for a field study about school violence in April-July 2008, and the reader get to learn about her experiences and impressions during this period, how the idea of a literature project came about, and why Schools for the Future was founded shortly after her return to Sweden.
October 19th, 2008
During the weekend, we had the great opportunity to promote Schools for the Future at the AIESEC conference Engage 2008 in Uppsala. Minna and Fredrik held a presentation about the organization, and a workshop about non violent communication was given to 30 of the 160 delegates. A lot of useful contacts with interested individuals and corporations were established, which we will continue to work on starting today!
October 13th, 2008
This homepage was created!
All photos on this website: © Schools for the Future
