The blogging adventure will continue again once I have moved to Hereford, end September 2022: Merriment, Masks, Marionettes, a little Mayhem and a Manipulator!

And here's what we made today!

Lots of pics this week as I look back at my work teaching art in Santiago Zamora!

First project - Mayan Masks.

Last Thursday (Aug 2) was my last visit to El Plan Infinito in Santiago Zamora, over the last 6 months I have led the weekly art/craft sessions and it has been a whole heap of fun! Normally between 20 - 30 attend this class and the number fluctuates depending on the conflicting claims on the children’s time, including other projects operating in the area, helping out at home looking after younger siblings, or working in the fields. However, when the children come they are demanding inasmuch as they want something that is fun and exciting, something they can do which they can be proud of (as a personal achievement) and an atmosphere that is child-centric and 100% not like school! Which they attend in the mornings from 7:30 – 12:30, when the teachers are not at some meeting or other!

Mandalas.

Teamwork.

I have learned so much. If the children thought the project for the day was not sufficiently interesting, behaviours immediately change, noise levels rise and the children become uncooperative and mischievous. If they like the project, noise levels change, “Michael, Michael, Michael” is called out every few seconds as the children want help, support and encouragement to succeed, there is an air of concentration and excitement as they transform a few pieces of card into a puppet, a mask, a geometric model or a picture. Slowly, slowly they start to be creative and to express themselves.

I bet their Mums were proudof them!

Looking at the art produced, and with my “psychology” hat on, it is easy to read into the pictures a reaction to the varied and often difficult lives these children lead. Some of the children systematically destroyed their work halfway through or simply and deliberately changed the rules to suit their own needs and I welcomed this. For instance; one girl, who, one week produced an amazing bright happy abstract picture, the next week took a grey pencil and simply filled the sheet of paper with grey scribble! When they were drawing people and/or their family, it was always interesting to see who is, or is not, included, and the size of the people relative to one another. For instance when they recently each drew a picture of a “fair” many children failed to put any people in the fair, or if they did they were not in the fair but looking at it – was that saying “I can look, but can’t afford to participate …..” Another boy produced for me, a picture from memory of a bottle, perfect in every detail … the bottle was of Rum.

Some of the younger children are particularly demanding of both time and attention and for others there is an obvious and deep need for physical affection. This is often true when the child is the one of many siblings. And more true of the boys.

Just enough room for a photo!

In Guatemalan families, especially in more rural parts, bringing up children is women’s work and men are pretty remote. Men rarely show affection to their sons (of any age). It has been very interesting to note and experience just how many of the boys actually want more attention from me as a man.

I love it when the children have a sense of achievement!

One boy of about 10 who comes from a pretty tough family and acts tough and who has, at times, been quite a challenge, will strive to get my undivided attention and then will quietly and unselfconsciously put his arm round me and just enjoy the moment, knowing he is valued and encouraged.

The puppet was almost as big as him!

And then there is my “little mate”, of around 6 who simply grabs hold of me, tries to clamber all over me, and smothers me with hugs, and if he could, I think would spend the entire two hours glued to my side!

Yes ...I did it!

Creativity can be such hard work!

The girls are more distant, controlled, “adult”, I think that their “conditioning” as little mothers from such an early age makes them so less likely to demonstrate feelings and emotions. Sometimes it is sad to see how subservient they are around the boys and how quickly they adopt perceived female roles. In my class everybody is responsible for tidying up, much to the horror of the boys! I have no concept of what is women’s work!

Some of this came home to me particularly on my last day when I handed over my camera to whoever wanted to take pictures and found that some children wanted to take the pictures, others wanted to be photographed and a couple of the boys saw this as a chance to be both close to me and have a record of that closeness and very specifically asking for copies of the pictures.

Hey foto opportunity ...anybody else!

The children have taught me what a privilege it is to be trusted, admired and loved in the way that only children can. And how awful it must be when that trust and confidence is broken and abused. Now, in the UK, the rules are probably that you simply must not touch a child in any way whatsoever, here, things are different. (Though if a teacher abused a child, local law would take over and they could easily end up being lynched and the police would happily turn a very blind eye.)

So, for me, the fairly chaotic two hour sessions, full of fun, laughter and aimed at the children simply being children and expressing themselves through art is a vital part of what childhood is all about! My own inner child has so much fun too!

And this is where I part company with the rules and regulations that are supposed to apply on the premises of EPI where these sessions took place. The rules are:

no noise,

no eating,

no hats,

no bags,

no running,

no sweets,

no, no, no, no, …………………….

Mr Koool!

Apparently, the space is a “library”, a “sacred space” devoted to the attainment of knowledge and that is a serious business and requires silence…….. Everything is kept in pristine order and tidied away, it is an adult space.

20 sides! Quite a challenge!

Sadly (and I do mean sadly) the project founder, European, is a “cranky” and pretty intolerant septuagenarian, a totally self-centred and selfish adult who, in my view, simply does not understand the needs of children. He tolerates with barely disguised distaste our (CasaSito) presence, but we bring subjects he is incapable of delivering. However, he also runs the centre completely to his own "hidden" agenda.

Absolutely, everything is done on his terms, to his rules.

He is intolerant of change, understands nothing of the needs of children, but has deep pockets and funds activities he wants to do, mainly swimming, so to quote the old saying “he who pays the piper calls the tune” and in order to do any work at EPI, CasaSito has effectively “sold out” by acquiescing to his rules. He is very jealous of the fact that many children come to art and computer classes but nobody now comes to some of his classes. Even though he provides financial incentives to attend. He is not culturally aware and imposes European standards on the children. He refused to let us expand our work beyond two afternoons, despite the obvious needs of the children. (I was all geared up for advanced art classes and teaching the older boys and girls some craft skills.) There is no way he would pass the necessary certifications in the UK required for taking responsibility for young and vulnerable children, given his age, and the fact that he is taking the children swimming without any assistance.

Concentration!

But, having made my views very clearly known to the folks at CasaSito, and recognising that “something was better than nothing”, I decided to continue to support the project, but determined that for my sessions new rules would apply, for which I would take full responsibility, and whilst I ensured that the “sacred space” was returned to its pristine condition after my sessions, during them, only four rules would apply:

1. LAUGHTER AND CONVERSATION WAS TO BE ENCOURAGED. (The first time I introduced this rule the children simply could not believe it. I had to work so hard to get them to laugh and joke.)

2. CHILDREN ARE CHILDREN – the space was for them to express themselves.

3. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY – if lines were crossed there were consequences, but those consequence were discussed by the group and not simply imposed.

4. HAVE LOADS OF CHILD CENTERED FUN!

A winning look!

I had to challenge the old guy twice, asking him not to interfere with my sessions and certainly not to chastise the children during my lessons. I once had to publically stand up for a child being wrongly and publically accused of some trivial trespass of the rules and threatened with expulsion from the centre. The child was innocent; actually I was the guilty party! (I had apparently opened the main gate too early.) An apology was never forthcoming for the mistake: had I said nothing (or not been present) that child would have been banned. Not my idea of a caring nature. The result of my "stand" has meant the guy semms to have interferred less.

I have tried wherever possible to link what we are doing to the heritage and culture of the children and so Mayan themes have run through many of the projects.

However, I am happy to say that in the last three months the children have responded to these ideas of personal responsibility and group and personal behaviour pretty much self-regulated itself, and I have enjoyed the challenge of getting the balance right. To an outsider the sessions might look chaotic, (actually they are organised mayhem) with a “facilitator”, me, speaking SpanGlish, and the children making personal decisions about how they participated – but, I think the results achieved, more than demonstrated the rightness of the approach.

I received so many cards and gifts from the children.

It all got rather emotional!

I believe that children of Santiago Zamora have so much to offer, I believe that the EPI project needs to be at the heart of that community, “owned” by all the families of Santiago Zamora, and that would be a recipe for incredible success.

I also believe that, under the current structure, with the appeasement of the Project founder being the order of the day, this well never happen. I feel so sorry for the children. They deserve better. I hope one day soon the obstacle to progress will no longer be there, then, with the right leadership this project could absolutely fly!

More pics of the presentation to me, along with cake and "pop" then a few more words at the end.......

Finally, from my heart I thank the children for teaching me so much, for taking me to their hearts, for trusting me, for encouraging me, for tolerating my poor Spanish and for motivating and encouraging me to do my best and to do so much better next time. I have felt my time with these children to have been some of the most worthwhile of my life. And yes, without being boastful, “making a difference” is definitely a two way street, the more I have given the more I have received.

I thank CasaSito for providing the opportunity.

.........And a final comment on the event from "my mate"