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!

Chapter 4 The Project

CHAPTER 4: How to create and plan a social-cultural project

The Goals of this chapter are: To teach the members of the course how to design and plan the different activities that they would like to develop with their association or as an individual. With that goal in mind they will adquire the fundamental concepts of a social cultural project.

The first part is to learn the difference between a plan, a project, and a program.

Here to the instructor, Seloua, uses a brillant technique. We get rid of the chairs and sit all together on the floor. One single level, there is no professor nor student, we are all here learning together. I loved the idea! Now that we had gotten the first part down the students could begin to go through the different steps of planing that go into a social cultural project.

The different phases are:

Analysis of the Reality

Title of Project

Type of Project

Justification

Goals

Methodology

Activities

Expected Results

Time Management and Schedule

Budget

Evaluation

For hands on learning and in order help teach the lessons we invent an imaginary project. Each group will be designated a specific part of the project. Through the putting together of the project the students will discover parts of the learning process that doesnt come from lectures.

Its a long process, the project is complicated and requires a lot of work...but even so we are moving along very nicely. Thanks to the all of the students this year who amaze me everyday with their relentless dedication and hardworking spirit.

A Dream Come True

On the outskirts of Larache, there lies a village, which is poor and abandoned. Rakada, hidden and forgotten behind a simple dirt path, is located some 7 miles from Larache. . Only 200 meters separates the village from the Atlantic ocean and this place is a jumping off point for drugs on their way to Spain and illegal immigrants that dream of making to the Spanish coasts. For young people, to be born here means to grow up in a world where life is difficult and few will be able to ever escape the harsh reality of life here. As for the girls, many will never have the opportunity to study more than the first six years of elementary school. Here there are no middle or high schools and the only option to continue would be to travel to Larache, 10 km from Rakada. For many of the parents the city is a dangerous world and they prefer that their daughter stays in the house to help the family instead of sending her off, away from the watchful eye of her brothers, cousins, etc. For the boys, if they don't get involved with the drug mafias they will pass an adolescence trapped inside of a dark world where there are plenty of drugs everywhere but there are no job opportunities. Frustrated, weak, and defeated by the village life and the routine of a drug addict they will pass their days dreaming of an easier life in the city or in Spain. When we think of international aid, when we think of the people that need us more than anyone, they are places like this, like Rakada, that ask for whatever little help we can offer. The truth is that there are thousands Rakadas in Morocco and thousands and thousands of children who will have to grow up in an environment like this one. With confidence in our ability to make an impact, the help of TS-CPLP, individuals in Spain, and local associations we came together to plan an activity of animation to bring a little bit of light, joy, and education to the children of Rakada. Our instructor and friend in the course, Seloua, is a teacher here and she took care of the huge task of facilitating for us access to the school and the community. For a week the students in the course, besides their normal responsibilities, worked to prepare the activity. Come now, with us and discover the beauty of the work that these socio-cultural monitors do and the things that are possible with a little bit of money, a voluntary spirit that has no end, and a group of children that need to laugh, paint, create things, and feel good about themselves and the world that they live in.

Before Getting Started There Was Some Prep Work To Get Done

Everybody Participated

9:00-10:00

10:30-11:30 Our Monitors Warm Up The Crowd

They themselves didn't hesitate to demonstrate their artistic talent.

It Seems That For Every Part of the World There is a Rap Star...

And at 11:30 we could get started with the workshops

Arts and Crafts

Workshop on Raising Awareness of Recycling and the Environment

Two Parts

1)Collect Trash Around the School Zone and Raise Awareness Amongst the Students About the Importance of Respecting the Environment

2)Recycling Workshop. How To Transform Trash Into A Treasure!

Art Workshop

The Grand Finale...Our Lovable Clowns Haninu and Fininu

Everybody is Loving the Performance

The children said that it was not only the first time that someone had come from outside to do something for the public but for many of the children it was the first time in their life that they had seen a clown!

Thanks to everyone who made this idea a reality. On this day, 120 children had the opportunity to have fun, play, and feel good.

¡¡¡Chukran!!!

All this work...and no play?

Excursion to the countryside of Larache-Ain Khamasa

As the students had worked so hard in the last week, we decided to reward them with a trip to Ain Khamasa, a natural source some 15 kilometers from Larache.

Actually, the spring itself is source of legend. It was apparently built, (or at least the housing structure that we see now) by a Spanish man in the 19th century. Apparently, this man searched all over Europe for a cure to a certain skin affliction without being to find a cure. He heard talk of a spring in Morocco where the waters could cure such a thing, came and of course...the water cured him. As a show of gratitude he erected the structure that now protects the spring.

This is Seloua, our fearless instructor for the chapters 3,4, and 5 in the course.

After a heated game of soccer it was the time to get down to some cooking. The kitchen squad wasted no time beginning to preparar the tajines.

Some worked while others a little tired, could not resist the urge to take a snooze in the afternoon shade.

And....its the moment! The chefs present the exquisite dishes they have prepared, barbecue fish tajines.

Spending the afternoon together, in this beautiful place, getting to know each other better.