LOS NIÑOS DE LA PAZ

There is nothing more fabulous than seeing children having fun, discovering new things and also learning how to express their feelings, not with dialog, not with violence but with their imagination.

For young children or teenagers that come from dysfunctionnal families or poor rural regions it is not always evident to be peaceful, patient and far inside themself to see what kind of conflicts they have. But they do have, and certainly a lot, because these children are far more mature for their age due to their experience of life. They are adult before the age and sometimes I feel that they forgot to be children.

The activity I did this week with the kids of the center was divide in 2 parts. One workshop in the morning for those of the secondary school which were doing "mujeres de la paz", same activity as the one of the patients of the Quinta. The other workshop was in the afternoon with the primary school students where they had to do an activity mainly focused on the environnement and sustainable development. I would say that this was more difficult than just doing mujer in terra cotta. Those of primary had to find an object that would correspond to the environment. They had to work in team and communicate their ideas. It was finally more difficult than I thought to organize this activity. First, because my spanish is not fluent and second because they simply are children and that their nivel of concentration are low. Also because they were not use to have their time occupied by an activity quite strange for them.

Jefferson and his big fish in the sea

Aracely with her small village, garden, house and ducks.

But I can say that it was one of the first time that I saw the kids having so much fun. Well of course more than one time few were kind of skeptic of what I was saying like for example that we have to go find in everyone of us one conflict or problem that we have. Some of them were telling me: " but I don't have any problem!" Of course they have, we all have even children. So I explained them that... Strange again when I tried to explained mainly to the varonnes (boys) that we all have a masculine side and a feminine side. WOOOOOOOUUUHHH!!!

- " Nestor do you have a feminine side?" I asked,

- " Are you crazy, no way, I'm a men"said Nestor

Well just admire this....

Children are not easy to convince because they all doubt my theory of two sides, feminine and masculine. But in the end, WOW extraordinary how they had understand the goal of the activity. They were all working in group, in peace, calmely and smiling. Well having fun!

I am more than happy and glad to have done this for them because it was an artistic but also educative activity. We, Jenifer, the psychologist of the center and I, worked on the project to integrate it to the prevention program that is done here at the college LAS MARIAS. This month was the theme of the emotions. Nothing more hasardous, the fact that my project was complementing very the prevention program.

The feed back I got from the children are just simply positive. They liked it, they enjoyed it, they had fun. They learn new things, how to control their emotions and discovered that there is other way to find solution to one's problems. This is my gift! Nothing more...

There is nothing more gratificant than teaching new things to children.