COMENTARIO GLORIA ALMEIDA

October 13, 2010

QUIERO BRINDAR  MIS  MAS  SINCEROS  AGRADECIMIENTOS  A   GLORIA ALMEIDA DE CASS,GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY POR LA  CONFIANZA DEPOSITADA  EN MI  TRABAJO  Y POR  TODO EL APOYO  BRINDADO DURANTE EL DESARROLLO DEL PROYECTO PILOTO  DE EDUCACION SOCIAL Y FINANCIERA

A Success Story

El SALVADOR SUCCESS STORY – CASS PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM  

Posted by Gloria Almeyda, CASS, Georgetown University 

Yacelin Isis Cordero, CASS Alamo Community College, 2008.   

Yacelin Cordero is a teacher in the afternoon cycle in the Centro Escolar Caton Miraflores, San Miguel department, with  350  rural students and 13 teachers.  Yacelin participated in the Social and Financial Education for Children and Youth Workshop in March organized by CIED for CASS teachers alumni.  And she has put what she learned into practice. She immediately documented the workshop in  her blog, which she has maintained since she studied in Alamo College (see  http://yacelinredaflatoumelsalvador.blogspot.com/).

Her blog contributed to creating a network among teachers and was a motivating force.  Yacelin is implementing the Aflatoun  pilot with three other teachers with 8^th grade.  After consulting with the school director, colleagues and parents, she introduced her students to Aflatoun methodology. And they loved it!  She formed an Aflatoun club with 28 students who have become very active social and financial entrepreneurs. Among the highlight of their accomplishments:

·       Microenterprise for school supplies: Students had a problem of losing their school supplies such as pencils and notebooks. They started a microenterprise that buys and sells pencils and notebook paper to each other. The first purchase was of one dozen of pencils. Now the microenterprise is selling not only to the Aflatoun members but to the whole school. As a result, students now take care of their pencils and losing pencils has been reduced. Students have gained an appreciation of their school materials.

·       Fair and selling goods: Students have organized several activities with the support of their parents to raise funds for social activities in the school.

·       A clean school: With the profits from the microenterprise, the Aflatoun Club bought cleaning supplies which the school lacked. They have become the cleaning squad. 

·       Environmental excursion: After selling food successfully, students organized an environmental excursion to Juayua (ver http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juay%C3%BAa). As a result, the students learned about how a fun trip could become an educational opportunity to learn about conservation. They also learned about how to take care of their own garbage while traveling.

·       Savings: The club has saved $183. They keep their savings at the school. 

·       Leadership: The group of students in the club have been recognized by Supérate, a program that provides scholarship to youth and encourages then to compete to enter their education program. (See previous post.)

·       Children’s rights and responsibilities: The group is informing the school about rights and responsibilities of children through theater. The group has a theatrical performance for each right.  They have found ways to motivate students to practice new skills and to develop their artistic talent while disseminating information useful to all the kids in schools.

Yacelin comments that the Aflatoun methodology has been a great tool to make students aware of how much they can contribute with their own resources to make their learning and their school fun, just by encouraging their social and financial entrepreneurial potential.

Yacelin says:

“COMO  PARTE  DE LOS  COMPROMISOS  AFLATOUN MI PLAN DE ACCION ABARCABA EL DESARROLLO DE  UN TURNO EN DONDE LOS  CHICOS  Y CHICAS AFLATOUN PUSIERAN EN PRACTICA LAS  FORMAS  DE  GENERAR INGRESOS  PARA LAS  ACTIVIDADES SOCIALES  DE LA  ESCUELA Y  AL  MISMO TIEMPO GENEAR   ESPARCIMIENTO,DIVERSION Y CONVIVIENCIA SANA.”