Memories of Summer II

Memories of Summer

I want to say thanks to everyone...we have created some unforgetable memories of the camp this summer. After a month away, I already appreciate the accomplishments that we made this past year so much more. I think not many people would have been able to do what we did and this is possible because of the enormous effort that everyone put into making this dream a reality. Soon the Board is going to evaluate the past year and start to talk about the future here in Morocco. I hope that we can learn from the good and the bad of the past year and improve what we can offer to the lives of all those that are touched by our work here in Morocco.

Workshop of Musical Instruments

• Smallest
• Small
• Normal
• Large
• Largest

Our dear clown, Haninu.

A bit of song and dance before starting the workshops

All of us have a right to an education

Workshop on Children´s Rights

Workshop on the development of the Rights of Women in Spain and in Morocco

Moving street theatre with the theme of "Everyone together for a cleaner natural environment"

From here everything is starting to look so beautiful. We hope to continue being blessed with the opportunity to make people feel good. A better future is possible and its all contained inside the palm of our hands.

Walking the Camino de Santiago

I want to say thanks to the artisits who took these pictures...

Jessica and Devora

Many people ask me about the Camino...and its difficult to express the feeling that one has on the Way. You have got to dream with me...imagine that you dont have to study, that you dont have to work, the only thing you have to do today is to walk, and while you are walking you find yourself closer than ever to God, you are surrounded by nature that is so beautiful it is sublime, and there is a parade of divine people passing by that never ends. This is the Way...and all this you do every day for 30 days.

We Love Puppets!!!

In the middle of the project of the Social Cultural Center, the alumnos were in need of a distraction for at least a day. And we immediatly jumped at the opportunity to host the Puppet Mistress, Lady Sache. The idea was simple enough...show the students how to use puppets as a tool to teacher with.

In a hour and a half the students had to write two different dialogues, one which respected a certain human right and another which did not. Create the different puppet characters and perform their sketch infront of the group.


From the first minute that the students got their hands of needle and thread and begin to create, we had a great time and learned alot.

Little by little we realized the power of a puppet. A costume, a face, a little bit of color and wer have a way to resolve conflicts, talk about a difficult topic, or propose an idea. We were amazed at the potential of the workshop.

¡¡¡We Love Puppets!!!

Project Part 3

We continue with the different phases of the Project for a Social-Cultural Center For Youth in Larache

Using the lesson from the third chapter: Analysis of the Reality the students created questionaries to gather data about the project and to have some research and real data to base their ideas upon. On a cloudy monday we gathered together by the boardwalk to talk with the public about the lack of sporting and social-cultural centers here in Larache

At the moment of encounter. Each students had to perform 10 questionaries at random with the public.

They worked together and created the questionaire by themselves

Here is the questionaire:

1. name
2. age
3. sex
4. occupation
5. education
6. education of their mother/ father
7. occupation of father/ mother
8. Are you a member of an association?
9. Yes...what association
10. No...Why Not?
11. For you, what does the phrase "Social-Cultural Center" signify?
12. What kind of activites would you like to see in a center such as this?
13. Do you believe that this center could reduce the number of problems that affect young people in Larache?
14. Suggestions?

Each student had a hour and a half to fill out the ten surveys

But for me, it just wasn´t enough, I wanted to continue doing surveys. Simply asking people questions you could see that they were inspired by the possibility of such an idea. It was amazing how the light just lit up in their eyes...and indeed I am fascinated by the power of just simply asking, Why not?

As always we did an evaluation by the river Lixus after completing the activity. Here we had an opportunity to relate our own experiences and the mistakes we made while we were performing the surveys.

Its a beautiful day today, why dont we go study outside?

The Project #2

In the last two weeks the students have began to plan their project for this year - a social cultural center for the young people of Larache. Can you imagine that a city this size doesn´t have a place where young people can practice sports, meet together, do art or theatre, or study. Because of this necesity the students decided to create this year a project for a Social Cultural Center for the youth of Larache.

Now we just need somebody to fund it. Any takers?

As the students are doing a great job planning the project myself and the other teachers decided to take them to a beautiful place here in the country to study.

For all those that it might interest, the place we went to is called Sidi Barack (saint barack) And no I am not talking about Saint Barack Obama, this place is named for a religious man of a few centuries ago. Now dead, his tomb is a place of pilgramage for woman who want to get married and get pregnant. There is cave here where they go to wash themselves, hang their undergarments on the roof, and ask the spirits for the man of their dreams. Very interesting but we didnt go here to get married exactly, we came to learn.

Two of the girls in front of a traditional house on the way to the village

Our classroom for the day. Looks pretty cool doesnt it?

And Mr Tree isnt bothered by the thumb tacks. Anyway I think he likes the idea of helping us learn. Here Layla is explaining a "problem tree" that her group has created in response to the problems of the youth of Larache.

After the lesson....as always...we do a creative evaluation of the activity.

So much praying...looks like it worked. On the way back we ran into a parade of woman who have spent all the day asking the saint for a man to get married to. We decided to give them Simo. I dont think he minded at all.

And as the woman let out the traditional wedding chants Karim and Abdsamad wrapped up the deal.

How beautiful!