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Meet the local nonprofit working to support vulnerable youth in Argentina, re-engaging kids through hands-on education and empowering them with practical skills to build a better future.
Who Are They?
Fundacion Ceferino Namuncura is made up of a small team of local education and trade professionals, united in their passion to support local youth who have dropped out of secondary education. They work in a dedicated school equipped with metal and carpentry workshops, a farm, an art centre and a small radio studio on the north-eastern coast of Patagonia.
"I got to make new friends here which makes me want to come to school"
"My favourite classes are when we work outside looking after the plants"
Why is their work so important?
JOB OPPORTUNITY
Few public safety-nets exist for Argentine youth who leave school early, most ending-up working unskilled labour for low wages.
RURAL LITERACY
Engaging youth in rural Argentina proves challenging, only 66% completing secondary education, compared to 88% in major cities.
VULNERABILITY
Many children from vulnerable backgrounds who lack academic interest drop-out from crowded public schooling in the area.
(Ceferino Namuncura, Anecdotal)
HANDS-ON SCHOOLING
Explore this Nonprofits amazing work first-hand.
What do they do?
Fundacion Ceferino Namuncura seeks to re-engage local adolescents who have abandoned secondary school through an alternative education framework, focussing upon skills-based learning and practical workshops. They provide Monday-Friday classes in maths, language and history, as well as metal-work, wood-work, agri-business, farming, radio, film and music.
Community Specific solution
The foundation finds that local kids who choose to attend the school generally lack the minimum family, community and material assets to engage effectively in traditional schooling within Puerto Madryn. Indeed, most participants come from rural regions of Patagonia, and often experience difficulty integrating into a traditional, semi-urban secondary school environment. The foundation thus engages in learning strategies that celebrate and embrace this rural background, focussing heavily upon outdoor learning in agricultural settings.
Giving Kids a Voice on the Radio
One of the organisations greatest innovations is the incorporation of live-to-air radio into the schooling experience. The radio station was born as a channel of expression where content and ideas are generated from the interests and experiences of students. It now streams live to air. Since 2012, they have had their own radio studio and dedicated local radio frequency where the students play music and host talk shows. In doing so, children not only learn the art of interviewing and public speaking but can also improve their computer literacy skills under the guidance of a local radio producer.
What do locals think?
Marli
Local student, 17
"Now that I've been able to try it, I want to work in film".
"It is great to know that my baby can stay in the nursery whilst I learn"
Leo
Local Student, 14
"My brother came, and he said it was great! Now I'm excited to be learning."
Brandon
Local student, 14
"My favourite classes are when we work outside looking after the plants."
