Empowering Students and Teachers for Community Wellbeing: A Glimpse into Our Colombian Schools

This year, the Peace Makers and Problem Solvers (PMPS) program is excited to feature two Colombian schools in the Urabá region, where PMPS students and teachers are collaborating to enhance their school communities. At Diocesano Laura Montoya School in Chigorodó, Antioquia, eight students, under the guidance of social sciences and ethics & values teacher John Zambrano, are spearheading the creation of "The Emotional Room." This initiative aims to address emotional education, recognizing how emotions impact students' personal, social, and academic development. By emphasizing the importance of emotional well-being, the project seeks to nurture active and responsible citizens.

At La Provincia School in Carepa, Antioquia, social science, economics, politics, entrepreneurship, ethno-education, and critical reading teacher Liliana Palacios is guiding 11 students through the design and implementation of student-tailored extracurricular sessions. The "Co-Creating Our Future" project hosts a series of extracurricular sessions tailored to help 6th-11th graders explore their life goals through activities aligned with their personal interests and passions. Additionally, the PMPS students are adapting a physical space at the school to better support these explorations and facilitate a more engaging learning environment.

Before diving into their social impact initiatives, both students and teachers conducted thorough observations of their communities. This process involved documenting and analyzing various aspects of their communities, including people, history, culture, and geographical features. This comprehensive overview enabled them to identify community assets and needs effectively.

Turning an idea into reality requires effective project planning for success. To this end, MLI's Country Manager, Luz Angela Guzman is guiding the PMPS students and teachers through refining their project design and planning skills. They are developing actionable plans using the 5W2H method and SMART objectives to address key questions and facilitate efficient project implementation.

The PMPS program is further supported by tutors from the Alumni Network at Enseña por Colombia, our local partner which is also committed to fostering collective leadership and implementing solutions to community challenges.

Your support can make a significant difference! Click here to support PMPS. Even a small contribution can have a tremendous impact on our efforts to empower students and foster positive community change. Join us in supporting the PMPS Journey for Change and help turn these inspiring projects into reality.