Finish school, create future

Dear friends,

In 2020, the global pandemic challenged society in general, and educational institutions in particular, to exercise flexibility, innovation and leadership in order to cope with this unprecedented situation. We are facing a complex context, facing a “new reality” where access to technology and connectivity play a central role in this new scenario where “classroom education” has changed and needs to be adapted.

Schools had to face drastic changes, without having time for preparation or planning, and had to make great efforts to respond quickly to new challenges. They are facing continuous and permanent learning so as to adapt and find solutions in the course of the different situations that arise.

On the other hand, the pandemic evidenced many situations of risk and inequality, such as the vulnerability and social disadvantage of a significant number of students who stated that they did not have the necessary connectivity, equipment or physical space conditions in their homes to develop their training process.

The aforementioned aspects confronted us with a new scenario where the accompaniment and intervention strategy and the focus on socio-emotional skills of our Program “Futuros Egresados” had to adapt, strengthen and repositio in order to have the expected impact on young students.

2020 was also an opportunity for the program to “reimagine”, “reinvent”, adapt, learn and improve. The complexity of the context invited us to continue rethinking from new situations the way in which we accompany young students in their school careers. In times of social isolation, it was urgent to design and put into practice devices that would allow us to investigate under what conditions our students go through this situation, what meanings school work acquires for them, what does it contribute to them not only in relationship with learning content but also to better cope with the times that we have to live, what type of proposals awaken their interest, what support they have in their homes, how they link with their teachers and with their peers. Devices that allow us to generate dialogue and better know their obstacles.

As a Program based on the “accompaniment” methodology to school trajectories, we are prepared to face this second year of education in a pandemic, with the goal of accompanying and strengthening the new “students ‘profession” in a changing educational scenario. In this sense, support learning, promote increasing levels of autonomy, maintain links with teachers and peers, build collective practices of caring, promote the rights of girls, boys and youth and intervene when they are violated or are at risk of being, are objectives of accompaniment that need to be put in value in the current times .

Cimientos will continue its hard work so as to support high school education during these hard times and keep up on accompanying young students and bringing closer to them more and better opportunities for their future.

We want to specially thank each one of you, for your unconditional support even during this complex context. It is thanks to you that we can continue carrying forward our projects and activities; giving more students a chance.

Best regards,

Cimientos Team