Fireworks exploding, bone fires glistening, proud citizens singing.
It is the 1st of August and Switzerland is celebrating. Thinking of home, I long to join my people and commemorate the birth of our confederation in 1291. This urge to rejoice together, the essence of national identity.
Today, the participants of Integrando a Mexico and facilitators attended the 2011 conference held in the Historical Museum of San Miguel de Allende. In the century old building,three young social entrepreneurs shared their love for their communities and presented their social projects, three attempts to change Mexico’s society for the better. Driven by the love of their country but more importantly by the empathy for their people, a writer, a photographer and a student in medicine turned their passion into a mean of social change.
Impressed by the creativity and initiative, we watched in bewilderment as girls living on the streets shared their stories, as elderly people wrote poems of hope to the younger generation, as visually disabled Mexicans were taught photography. Participants and facilitators watched the dream of a student in his second year of medicine provide medical care to more than 70 000 people. Facts and figures were shared but more importantly passion and motivation: the knowledge that it has been done before, that it is possible even at our ages.
Tomorrow, the participants will start planing their own social project, drawing from individual passions which they will have to connect with issues in their home communities. This conference was a perfect introduction and the mostly practical focus of the questions to the speakers demonstrated the readiness of these 42 minds. I would bet brainstorming is already going on. The genuine selflessness and purpose of each example was a reminder of the purpose of this course and a taste of what potential the participants possess. We have now reached the stage where, all the tools having been given, our role will be to support while creativity does its work.
After three weeks of workshops, I have seen the participants develop and evolve. Looking back and hoping that I have given as much as I could, I will now try my best to assist them in the tedious process of reducing their dream to something measurable. Disillusions. Hopefully not.
Roaming the streets, laughing loudly, buying sweets and ice cream. I can’t wait to seem them take responsibilities and become leaders of their own.
But let them always enjoy the occasional silliness.
Catherine Ador (Switzerland/Norway, AC 09-11)
Catherine, you must be sure that these young people have grew a lot. The facilitators have put in the seed to help.
ReplyDeleteThanks