Art Workshops

CODENI A.C., runs artistic expression workshop, which fall under the Life Project Program. They are intended to encourage creativity from a collective and individual perspective and promote the development of children and adolescents. This workshop supports a forum of expression where they can translate their thoughts and emotions by living in a healthy and creative world of unlimited expressive art.

The boys, girls and adolescents that are currently attending the workshops are in second phase; their ages range from 11 to 16 years old.

 The workshop is given by the “mairo” Diego Partida             (from Guadalajara, Mexico) and Vanessa Freigtag a Brazilian volunteer.

Currently, we are working with stencils, portraits, drawings, collages, and composition techniques. All of this culminates with the vision to develop their artistic and creative capacities and by this to demonstrate their talent while building confidence.

By: Diego Partida "Art Workshop Mairo".

Street Outreach

Today we are proud to thank all the hard work that the “mairos” (teachers and friends), have accomplished with the girls, boys and adolescents that work in Guadalajara´s downtown area. Today we have a new record of 40 children and adolescents in First phase participating in our street space.

CODENI´S population puts forth huge efforts in attending school, working and also participating in our street workshops, where they receive educational support and participate in recreational games that support their physic development. Having the option of these activities improves their capabilities to socialize and be a part of a very special collective that work to foster.

Street outreach is an educational development and social strengthening area that takes place in Plaza Liberación each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. We support two simultaneous groups with an educational and recreational space that leads activities to get to know the needs of our children and adolescents. Later they can successfully integrate to the second and third phase where CASA CODENI offers more structured activities; by doing this the “mairos” can value the situations the kids and adolescents live on a daily basis.

One of the activities that helps us to know more about their cognitive development is their homework. Additionally, with their drawings, we can appreciate their creativity and expression; through ludic activities and playing soccer for example, we realize their social character.

Each of the previous assessments enables the team work to perceive the needs that require greater intervention and to act adequately. All this is supported by the operational areas including Social Work, Psychology, Education, Workshops, Recreation and Volunteers. We take every chance to get to know our population better.  Through this space, we can develop this conscious and encourage the kids to fulfill their potential and build strong characteristics and skills that will support them in the future.

Our work group has fostered a positive space in Plaza Liberacion in the center of Guadalajara, and it is well recognized for CODENI’s work with the families of our kids and adolescents in downtown area. Not just the children and teenagers attend either, their parents show up and talk with the social worker and have asked for support in various situations. Here we are able to connect mothers to different organizations o institutions that correspond to each situation. In the end, it is invaluable to support and empower the population that we work with.

Thanks to each member of the team that contributes an enormous effort to support CODENI’s activities and projects in our street outreach.

By: Diego Partida "Street Outreach Mairo".

Who is Mairo Tonio?

Juan Antonio Tessada Magaña (Mairo Tonio) received his bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Guadalajara (CUCSH 2003); beginning his studies he learned to undertake himself and the world that surrounds him.
“Learn to learn” recognizes that it is possible to develop a new mentality of understanding and exchange that includes material and intellectual resources. With this understanding developed “Agorá”, an urban comunity space, where through workshops and discovering new forms of sustainability, a new community space was within the city. In the education field, this is a group of thinkers in the forefront of intercultural models of education in the state of Jalisco.
Today, in CODENI, as the General Director, Tonio looks to impact other organizations on a national and international level to address the wide spread vulnerabilities and violations of human rights that affect children and adolescents that CODENI works to accompany and empower.
“Without respect of dignity and personal development one cannot aspire to a solid base of social development which we look to create through collective and community work.”

CASA CODENI

Every day Casa CODENI is filled with children and adolescents. Our goal is to provide a dignified and safe environment for them to participate in educational and recreational activities and other workshops. By doing this we hope that they will consider Casa CODENI as their own home.

Unfortunately the house currently needs many repairs that our out of our budget’s reach. The roof has leaks, the classrooms and offices need to be painted, the walls need repairs due to humidity filtration. We also need to rewire the building to reduce our monthly electric bill and replace several locks to improve the security of our human and material resources.

We are seeking donations to take care of these urgent maintenance needs. Every donation, no matter how small it may seem, is a significant contribution to make Casa CODENI feel like home for the children, adolescents and families who take advantage of our activities to better their lives and overcome their dependence on the streets.

Arely Rocha: Fundraising Coordinator

Child laborers

For a lot of people de concept of “Kids in street situations or child laborers” is unfamiliar. However, according to the publication "Breaking cycles of poverty with educational interventions: the Case of CODENI" by Danielle Strickland (2010), the last census that DIF Jalisco published in February of 2008 reported 3,674 minors working in the public street in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara. These children and adolescents can be seen all over downtown, selling what they call “seasonal products”, working as magicians, selling potato chips and candies, sometimes alone and sometimes with relatives. A significant group of child laborers arrives every day from the highly marginalized peripheral neighborhoods of Guadalajara, returning to their shanty homes only to sleep at night.

It is important to mention that the children and adolescents that are considered to be “in street situations” are those who live in poverty and forced to the streets for survival. This concept refers to a wide range of children and teenagers, including those who accompany their parents to work as informal vendors in the streets to those who sleep in public spaces.

The working children and adolescents that participate in CODENI generally accompany their relatives. They generally work to help the family economy or help sell in the streets while their parents do other activities. From a very young age they have autonomy and freedom, including economic activity and the capacity to move freely in the city streets. That said, these children live with their families and usually attend school. The common characteristic of CODENI´s families is the lack of formal jobs and stable income.

The children and adolescents who participate in CODENI do not perceive themselves as vulnerable or recognize rights violations in their lives. Life on the streets is the norm for these families and they have not experienced other ways of life. They perceive their lives as normal and do not believe that the necessity to work as children is a rights violation. Many consider themselves to be “middle class,” since they are better off than those living on the streets. However, CODENI strives to broaden their perspective and consider a more stable future, with formal employment off the streets.

The benefit of working on the streets is the lack of structure in their work day and access to easy money, as the work requires no application process or requisites. This means that they can count with economical fluency, with a daily cash income that allows them to purchase goods and go to the arcade, for example. The sensation of having cash in their pockets makes street work attractive to these children and families and often inhibits them from seeing the benefits of working to obtain formal employment with legal benefits and a stable income.

Despite the economic benefit of working on the streets, children and teens in street situations are victims of many rights violations and are constantly exposed to risks such as drug trafficking, sexual exploitation and discrimination. We must remain conscious of the rights violations that street children and youth suffer as they are indeed the present and our hope for a brighter future for Mexico.

By: María Luisa Romero Rodríguez, CODENI “Workshops coordinator”

Teen Life Projects

In Codeni we are proud to have an ever-growing group of teenagers and youth that are willing to continue with individual projects and goals, with the tools and skills they have been developing with us throughout their childhoods. These projects are focused in social as well as educational areas of each individual’s life.
Youth in street situations are exposed to multiple risks during adolescence, due largely to the context of poverty in which they live. The areas in which they grow up are permeated by violence, gangs, and a high rate of narcotic sales and consumption. They further tend to lack the presence of law enforcement figures and social development programs.

CODENI’s new program called "Life Projects" was initiated to build on workshops of rights and responsibilities. Our team of educators serves as a support structure to empower our teens along the paths they have planned to leave the streets.
Thus we are proposing a new journey with our youth in which we will accompany them as they plan projects and recognize the resources available to each of them to achieve their goals. We are optimistic that our youth will be successful in their "Life Projects," as they are already armed with knowledge and skills from the many formative and preventive workshops in which they have participated in CODENI.
Congratulations to our teens for beginning this new stage with us and for their initiative to continue growing with CODENI!

Myriam Godínez, psychologist

Ahala in the Rotary district 7570 Newsletter!!!!

For more information and the complete Newsletter, please visit: http://www.rotary7570.org/

Click on the image for a bigger letter size.

My experience as a volunteer in CODENI: Samaria Alonso Orozco

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a strong believer in God, and I attribute my estancia in CODENI to him. After all, life leads us where we need to be.

I entered college by chance. When I decided to apply it was already April and there were not many options left. “I fell” into the ITESO. In the first days, I attended a presentation of different options where students could volunteer through the ITESO. I thought maybe I’d find something there that interested me or that I could find a way to go to the Sierra Tarahumara, something that has always been a dream of mine. A trip to the Sierra was not meant to happen at this point in my life. I watched the presentations of different volunteer opportunities, but none called my attention, until I saw one that was focused on education (something I’m passionate about): it was CODENI.

At first, I was really scared, because I didn’t know how the children would respond to me. I didn’t know if they’d like me. But we can’t be guided by fear and need to approach new experiences with a smile.

Nine months have passed, and since then, I’ve enjoyed CODENI one Monday after the next. If it were possible, I’d write several pages about my experiences with the kids in Casa CODENI, my random encounters with them in the nearby park, their heart-warming smiles, and when they share stories about their daily lives, some of which break my heart and others that leave me cracking up.

How could I ever forget their little faces? (At the moment I’m imagining them) Perhaps I forget their names at times, or I mix one of them up with another, but seriously, I really care about them now, more than I can express in words.

“Maira, maira!” how sweet it sounds coming from them. And the thing is that it’s not just about going to help them with their homework, or the workshops, or to play with them. For me it has turned into an experience of growing together. I feel like a part of their lives y they are a part of mine.

When I speak about them, a smile automatically appears on my face; whatever may be bothering me on a given Monday, is immediately forgotten when I’m with them. I know that for the time being, I couldn’t imagine my life without CODENI.

Samaria Alonso Orozco

2nd Semester student in International Relations at the ITESO University

Volunteer in Círculo CODENI

Celebrating our moms in CODENI

Celebrating our moms in CODENI

On Saturday, May 14th, we celebrated Mother’s Day with a delicious cookout in the Metropolitan Park.

Congratulations to our moms!

Reading Workshop begins in CODENI

On Friday May 13, 2011, in the area of Academic Support, we began a new reading workshop. In CODENI we recognize strong reading skills as a fundamental ability for the development of our children and adolescents.

The workshop is organized between our volunteer Samaria Alonso and the coordinator of the area of education, Martín López Espíritu. The objective of the workshop is to promote the love of reading and simultaneously improve comprehension, fluidity and speed reading. To accomplish this objective, each participant in the workshop selects books from our library that he or she wants to read.

The participants were enthusiastic and chose stories such as “Snow White” and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” which they took home to read and share with their families and shared the stories with the group in the following workshop.

The workshop includes different activities such as story-telling, stories with pictures and group reading dynamics, with the intention of drawing our children and adolescents to the library and transforming the activity of reading from an responsibility to a pleasure.

Psic. Martín López Espíritu

Coordinator de Education

SEMINAR INVITATION, RIO DE JANEIRO

We are honored to invite you to this seminar in which CODENI will participate in Rio de Janeiro on April 28th.

So far in 2011...

The number of children attending daily activities in Casa CODENI continues to grow. We currently have 107 children and teens who attend the homework help club, workshops and recreational activities. The children are divided into different age groups to offer activities specific to their abilities and interests. Every morning and afternoon the building is filled with children anxious to learn, play and take advantage of CODENI's programs, making progress towards reaching their dreams of a life outside poverty.

We are currently designing a new reading room and preparing to incorporate the computer lab into the tutoring program to inspire the love of reading among our children, most of whom come from homes without a single book and mothers who were never given the opportunity to attend school.

STARTING JANUARY 2011

COMPUTER WORKSHOPS One of the most enjoyable activities for members of CODENI Children’s Rights last semester was the Computer Workshop.As a fundamental part of the program in the Workshop’s area was our Computer Workshop to children and adolescents in at Casa CODENI. Thanks to the donation from the Rotary Foundation within the project "Humanitarian Grants Program" the Rotary Foundation provided us with twelve computers for our workshop. More than fifty-nine students learned basic computer skills (i.e. Word and Power Point) Additionally, students had typing lessons, which aid our children in their writing skills. Our Computer Workshop has been very well accepted among our children. So much that since students returned from vacation, they ask nothing but the day in which next workshop will start. CODENI members enjoy great benefit because this equipment, the skills they learn, and the internet service here help in their school homework, for which they also have training for its correct use.

DECEMBER 2010

"MAIROS* DON BOSCO" FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT Our children in CODENI participated in our “Mairos” Don Bosco Football Tournament, a combined team of children and adolescents. The junior category won the runner-up. They faced team of shelter Los Pinos with a score of 4 to 3. These boys showed great enthusiasm and motivation to play and win. This gives us great satisfaction as we are part of these enriching experiences for their socialization and by promoting positive activities for their growth. * ‘Mairo/a’ is the common name for street educators in Guadalajara, and it means a blend between teacher, counselor, and friend.

TRADITIONAL STREET POSADA FOR CHILDREN WHO ARE STARTING THEIR PROCESS IN CODENI For our holiday celebrations this month, the CODENI Children’s Rights Collective organized a posada in Plaza Liberacion for children who are starting their involvement in CODENI. Students from TEC de Monterrey in Guadalajara and Jalisco’s DIF system (Integral Family Development), provided great support with donations of gifts and backpacks to our children. Around thirty children and some of their parents participated in this event with ludic activities and the traditional delivery of toys.

NOVEMBER 2010

FESTIVAL

On Saturday November 20, 2010 we celebrated the 21st anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child with a Festival. The event was possible with the collaboration of various institutions who offered workshops focusing on children's rights.The design of these workshops provides fun in an educational manner, which makes our girls and boys interested and participative. In between workshops, our guest artists Lalo Lelo & Lola entertained the crowd. For the closing ceremony of this event we enjoyed of a theater performance by La Cucaracha, who presented a play focusing on rescuing rights and indigenous origins.


MINI-OLIMIPIC GAMES

Also during November, we had our Mini-Olympic Games– an inter-institutional event organized by CODENI. We realized this event in Club DESPEJA of the Secretariat of Public Security. Along with CODENI, five institutions participated. Football tournaments for children and youth (male and female), sprinting, and our rally for all ages are those that had greater affluence. This was an event of healthy competition and fun.

We are deeply thankful to institutions and volunteers who work with us to organize events like this one, as a sum of efforts to the benefit of the health and education of our children. This would not be possible without your support. Among the institutions supporting us, were the Crime Prevention, who helped with the facilities and refreshments; DIF Guadalajara provided the balls and cones; Sports Development donated balls, medals, and trophies, as well as the podium; SISTECOZOME helped us with transportation. Our volunteers also supported in the various disciplines of the event. With our mutual solidarity, we lead towards more benefits and alternatives when we join the same cause to help our vulnerable children, providing them with a space for healthy entertainment.


"VAMOS AL CINE" ("Let’s go to the Movies") IN CINEPOLIS - A BI-MONTHLY TRIP FOR OUTSTANDING CHILDREN

Our bi-monthly trip for outstanding children was another event in which various civic associations joined efforts. These are children who strive and show interest in their own learning and development. Six profit organizations accompanied CODENI in the hosting at the invitation of the foundation “Vamos al Cine”.
Our boys and girls were highly excited, especially those many who had never been in the movies before. Everyone enjoyed the movie Sami in the secret passage.

OCTOBER 2010

OUT TO IMSS THEATER

We had a hang-out for this month to IMSS theater, where we were spectators of the play "Stories to Keep You Awake." The invitation was open for all three levels of participation in CODENI. Our boys and girls enjoyed it very much, since this is not an activity to which they assist frequently. Parents, just like our boys and girls, enjoyed the show, they were interested and had fun.