Shape Colombia

We Believe Education Can Shape The World! We're the biggest educational project in the AIESEC in Colombia network. We combine innovative teaching methods with multicultural experiences!

[theteachinglife]

Teaching is a profession that teaches all other professions #teachers #teaching #teach #school #primary #secondary #higher #college #everywhere #always #lifechanging #education #progress #professionals #profession #inspiration #motivation #appreciationpost #teachersfollowteachers #teachersday #teachinglife #dayandnight #amazing #future #ideas #feel #status #thank #headhearthands

[shapecolombia-blog]

Being a shaper

After more than two months in this Country, I can say that Colombia for me has been, so far, challenging, inspiring, motivating and magic. It has been challenging to adapt to the weather of Bogotá: coming from the sunny Barcelona, the cloudy and rainy Bogotá is a struggle. I am also struggling to feel safe in this city and I am deeply homesick.

It has been inspiring to meet the amazing people living in this Country and to listen to their stories. Working with children made me think a lot about how lucky I was as a kid, and how much I want to do my best for them. It also inspired me to think about what I want to do with my future. Teaching children and teens is motivating: every time they enter the classroom, they expect you to do your best, to make the difference and to teach them something important. Their eyes are the best motivation you can find in life. Colombia has something magic: visiting the Country, you can see a variety of different landscapes, animals, vegetation and people. You can listen to different kind of music and different accents, you can smell the ocean, the forest or amazing food. You can see so many colors that you will think you entered a rainbow. Colombia for me is its people: kind, colorful, open-minded and traditional at the same time. I think the kindness and the helpfulness of Colombians is the first thing that hit me about this Country. All the people I met are willing to help in any possible way, they never back up when you need them, and they are good friends. I was very surprised at how welcoming people can be here. Colombia for me are “my” kids, the incredible students that fill my days here. The little ones that start screaming “¡la teacher de inglés!” every time they see you, no matter where it is, when it is, or if they are actually your students or not. The older ones that every day lose a couple of minutes of their break to come over, say hi, and ask “¿qué más, teacher?”. I love being in the class with my little ones: they unconditionally trust you and, between one song and one game, they share with you details of their lives, and they hug you and kiss you as if they have known you forever. I like my older students, they can go from being annoying teenagers, to cute children, to mature adults within the same class. They can be extremely undisciplined and then unexpectedly hug you ten minutes later. They can be quite superficial about one theme, and absolutely  deep about the following one. Colombia for me are the amazing landscapes I saw during a road trip: the mountains, the forests, the jungle, the savannah and the Caribbean. Colombia for me is the foggy air of Bogotá, the humidity of the forest, and the scent of the Ocean in Tayrona Park. It is the wind in my air in Cartagena, the sun on my skin in Santa Marta and the rain in Bogotá. It is the music and dance on the coast and the nights out in Bogotá. It is the public art in Medellin, the colorful houses of Cartagena and the graffiti in Bogotá. It is the wilderness and perfection of Tayrona. I think that, after two months, I can say that Colombia is, for me, Magical Realism.

[somedaysarelikethatt]

Things I Wish My Classmates Knew About Me

On Friday morning, I had a talk with my students. I wanted to remind them that each of their classmates had their own thoughts, feelings, and problems that they’re dealing with that others may not know about. I told them that it’s important to think of their classmates as people too, people that are more than they may seem.

I wanted them to see each other in a different way. To see what their classmates were thinking, and how they’re feeling.

It was my hope that after seeing some of these things that everyone wrote, they might think twice about how they treat one another.

Note that not all of the post it’s had deeper things like this on them. Some of them had things like, “I like to play guitar”, “Over the summer I ride horses with my cousin”, “I collect army men”, “I love to sing and run, but I hate going to practice”, and so on.

I left these post its on the board all day for the students to come up and read whenever they wanted. I’m going to relocate the post its to somewhere else in my classroom for this coming week. I’ll probably also give my students the option to add more post its or change what they wrote if they wish to.

This coming week is Erase Meanness week. I have a few activities that I’ll be doing with them this week that I’ll share with you all.

I’m really hoping that I can make at least a little bit of difference for my students and the way they view other people.

[shapecolombia-blog]

A story about freaking out

When I first got on my flight to Bogota, I had no idea what to expect. It’s an extremely cliché beginning, but an entirely true one. My Spanish was terrible. All I knew how to say was extremely basic conversational words. I didn’t even know how to buy groceries—but don’t worry, I learned how, and rather quickly. But I was slightly freaking out, I didn’t have a clue how I was going to be able to teach English to a group of kids that I had no idea the ages of, and how well they understood or even spoke English. I’m not going to sugarcoat this: I was freaking out. A little. 

I finally got to the hostel I was supposed to stay at, met probably several dozen Shapers from all over the world, and was immediately greeted with a warm welcome from everyone. They were all incredibly kind and inclusive. But I still had no idea how I was going to teach, about a four days from when I arrived. I wasn’t prepared at all, and I had essentially zero experience teaching. I thought that this would be interesting. It seemed like everyone had everything so together, and knew exactly what they were going to do.

Then I got to my school. And I didn’t have any classes for the first month. The support teachers at my school didn’t have any substitutes. So, I wound up sitting in my classroom for six hours a day, five days a week for four weeks just reading the curriculum and continuing to freak out about the impending doom that was my first class, which kept getting more and more terrifying due to the English teachers at my school telling me that the students had little to no knowledge of English. At all.

During my first class with all of my students, I gave a presentation on who I was, where I was from, and the culture from my country, which was incredibly difficult to do because I was pretty sure that there was absolutely zero culture from the United States. Eventually I found some things that we have that are unique just to our country, though most of what I was able to find was just relating to my city.

Class began. A group of around 10 to 15 students ambled into the classroom, and almost all of them were around my age, if not the same age and older than me. Being 19 and teaching students ages 16 to 20 appeared to be impossible. How the hell was I going to do this? I opened up my power point presentation, introduced myself and began to talk about where I was from. Immediately almost every students eyes glassed over. I realized that they understood nothing that I was saying, so I stared helplessly at my support teacher until she stepped in and began to explain in Spanish what I was saying, and the class erupted into a chorus of “Ohhh”’s. 

Every day since then has been some kind of challenge, with me speaking in English, asking the students if they understand, and hearing them say “un poco,” but that “un poco” has been one of the most encouraging things I could possibly hear. Each class they understand a small amount more and more, and they’re constantly asking me how to say phrases and words in English. They’re showing a desire to learn, a want to be able to understand the language I speak and communicate to me in English. They come to class excited to learn—well, kind of. Most of them do when their class doesn’t begin at 6:30 am. But they want to be there. They want to work on the projects we do in class, they want to play the games, and they want to learn what I teach. And because they do, I do, too.

[shapecolombia-blog]

These are our all-new shaper teams! we’re so glad to have them in Colombia :D

[theflyswatter]

[shapecolombia-blog]

How Shape Colombia Shaped Me

Being part of Shape Colombia has taught me how to be more patient, creative, "más fresca" as my students would say...in other words, how to be a better person.

When I decided to come to Colombia to be part of this project I thought I would learn from a new educational system through the experience of teaching English. So I could implement what I'd learned in my own educational project.

However being an English teacher to the Colombian Kids it teaches you more about yourself than about education.

Of course I've learned from a new educational system, new teaching techniques, how to overcome the difficulties that you can face in a classroom. But most importantly I’ve learned that when it comes to kids, and especially Colombian kids, you don't need to be the best teacher, you need to be the best version of yourself.

You will need to break up with structure, planning, learn how to improvise all the time because what you think it might be cool...guess what? Kids won’t. But most importantly you will need to learn how to listen. Accepting that you are there to learn from them while you are teaching them values, healthy and unhealthy habits, festivals and carnivals around the world all in English it's the clue to have a successful experience. The kids in this project they want to know about a new culture, a new language, a new way to express themselves, but above all...they want to learn about you. Where are you from, if you are single, married, if you speak Spanish, why do you speak English? And if you are Mexican... why do eat everything with ají? Yes they want to know about the person who is there to teach them English and I assure you something, if you open that door to them...they will open the door for you. And I think that when you are able to do that, then you become a better person. That's what Shape Colombia it's about, shaping a society, a country...yourself. So if you decide to be part of this project you can be sure that you will change in the process and the change is always good.

[shapecolombia-blog]

My Life in Colombia

When I came up with the advertisement from the project, I wasn’t sure was it was all about, but I could feel it was something special. I remember my parents freaking out when I told them about my decision to come here, but still I was excited because this project joined the 3 things I love the most… English, teaching and dancing. Back then, to me Colombia was all about happiness, great people, music and dancing.

At least, that’s what I thought as representative of the country prior to my arrival. How wrong I was, there is so much more… In order to get the widest picture possible before heading back home; I am determined to go around asking people, and having long and interesting conversations with either locals and other foreigners in my humble attempt to understand how everything works here. The more I talk to people, the more I realize my first conceptions about the country are really farfetched from reality.

Society, economy, politics, education, welfare programs, etc. I’d love to know as much as possible, because it eventually will help me compare and present challenges and actions to take here and home. Colombia is not only the poor, dangerous country we may imagine, but it’s also a place with a great human potential a country of opportunities where it’s possible for people to make their lives if they have a strong will of improving. People are happy here. It’s amazing to travel to different places around the country and find the most cheerful people I have ever met.

Even though people in the capital tend to be more reserved (I think it has to do with the dynamics of a big city), if you meet a person from warmer regions, you will probably have the best time in their company. They will always find an excuse to party, listen to great beats and drink guaro (aguardiente, the most popular drink). People are warm, and they always make you feel welcome. Whenever they know you are a foreigner, they will be kind and want to know about you… kids are normally dazzled about it and they want to find a way to communicate. It feels amazing to feel they are interested in knowing about your own culture.

Colombia has one of the strongest economies in the region, and it has grown a lot during the last couple of years. It is so different from Argentina, where we are used to living in a constant economical crisis that won’t let us live in a relaxed way. For a person like me, knowing how much things cost and being sure that it won’t change over the following six months is priceless. Economical stability is something I am not used to, and you feel so relieved when you don’t have to worry for how much your money is worth. It takes so little money to eat, if you buy an empanada for 1000 today, you know next year it will be the same price. That is just amazing! Some people say that it is amazing for a country to have such an economical growth when it’s been in constant civil wars over the last decades. The country has so much potential, that it makes you feel sad knowing that it took them so long to finally start living in peace. Luckily, peace treatments are getting closer each day, and you can tell people feel safer to go around their country as they have never before. However, progress needs to be connected to education, and that’s what interests me the most.

Levels of education tend to vary a lot from certain groups of population to others, from one city to another, from a neighborhood to another…. And that needs to change. Luckily, Bogota is currently devoting much more money to education than before, and opportunities for public school children are improving. It is amazing to see how public schools have very well-equipped classroom with lots of materials to improve teaching learning processes.

After many years of working as a teacher back home, this is the first time that I see public schools with so much material for students to use and it makes me wish schools were the same way in Tucumán (Arg). Nonetheless, what shocked me the most about the educational system was the amount of small universities found. I come from a country where most of the students attend to public national universities, and the idea of paying for a private one belongs to the minority of the people. Here, no matter where you go, you will always find a small university or higher education institution. It is great to see many people care about their futures, but it would be incredible for them to have more spots in Universidad Nacional, because that would actually help so many more people have a better life.

After being here for almost four months, and besides the minimal cultural shock I may have felt at some point, I have to say that I love this country. No matter where you come from, if you are a city or nature person, if you like cold or hot places, if you listen to rock or salsa, you will always find a place where you feel you belong in this beautiful country. Colombia has such a variety of everything (climates, landscapes, cultures, music, cities, etc) that there is no way you wouldn’t feel it as home. It is funny how you arrive here, and soon enough you understand the touristic slogan “Come to Colombia, the only risk is wanting to stay”.

[shapecolombia-blog]

How can I say “Goodbye”?

How can I say goodbye to a country that made me face my fears, a country that gave me a new definition for the word Challenge! A country that taught me that there is a world outside Kampala! A country with holidays that I even lost count of. A country that unconsciously taught me something new every single day; I always looked forward to a new day because I knew that by the end of the day, I will not be the same person I was the day before. A country that taught me how to be as vigilant as possible. I can go on and on...

Being a shaper in a public school was more like a privilege to me than a job. It was an opportunity for me to see life in a different perspective, to share my knowledge to whoever cares but to always remember to learn something in return. From my curious students  who want to feel like they have been to Africa after I leave to the proud Colombians who want me to feel their joy and pride of being Colombian; I hate to say it but they succeeded! Watching my students grow in the English language day by day! Nothing gave me greater joy  than knowing that I have contributed to the back steps of these teens who only one out of ten has a plan for their tomorrow.

The diversity of cultures that AIESEC brings together for one cause. This diversity made me learn about the million ways to eat 'Platano' also known as Matooke in Uganda. Made me realise that cheese can actually be put on everything and anything! Made me realise that Vodka is not such a big deal after all ! I also realised that someone may need a few Aguardiente shots in order to dance! I came to a realisation that you do not have to wait for a party or celebration to prepare a lot of food, drink and dance on a  random day without having to celebrate anything. But most of all, it made me realise that you do not have to be rich to be genuinely happy.

The different languages and accents that this country has exposed me to are priceless. The words we call slang in Uganda are actually Spanish words! Spanish in Spain and in the other Latin American countries is interestingly distinct but it is all Spanish. My Language discoveries while in this country can never be robbed from me. I cannot begin to explain the power of language this country has exposed me to; " Chips" is an English word which is understood differently by an American and a Briton.

Now, I can proudly confirm to anyone who has not been here that all that you watch in Narcos, all that you hear from people who have also heard from other people who have not actually been here are nothing but misleading stereotypes. Just come down here to see for yourself; the mighty Monserrate, the amazing coast, the most pure Salsa, the very happy people, food like you have never seen before, fruits you have never heard of, the Spanish that you will fall in love with, the very interesting graffiti and of course not forgetting the weather in Bogotá that I like to call confused.

Coming to Colombia to become a Shaper is the decision I am most proud of so far. I have met people from all over the world; from the Shape Colombia project,  in the 'Tiendas',  Transmilenio, club, at the Monserrate, Buseta, shopping malls, learnt one or two things about Colombia from the friendly taxi men, all the people who can never believe that I am from Africa when I tell them I can only speak "un poquito" Spanish. Now, I can brag that I am friends with the whole world. I guess that is why I can only say  "Hasta luego"

[shapecolombia-blog]

Classroom experiences: Every cycle is a universe

The classroom experience in my school has been outstanding. I have had the joy to meet very special kids with great potential and very interesting features, which has led the sessions to be motivating, amusing and exciting. I am truly amazed by the ability some students have to accept knowledge and apply it; and also by how extraordinary each kid is. This is the first time I work with twenty or twenty five kids in the same classroom and I must say I really enjoy it.

 The enthusiasm they show in every class, plus their skills to comprehend and execute instructions make my work a very happy place. Apart from the students’ disposition to work, the activities described in the curriculum for each cycle are really helpful to have a healthy classroom environment. I find the structures and subjects of the sessions very appropriate and suitable to kids’ ages and learning stages.  The activities are fun, they require students to use their minds, their imagination and their artistic skills, which they love to use and show in the immersion room. Some of the most interesting activities up to now have been the mimic or charades activities (to review vocabulary); the Pictionary competitions (to learn new words or review old ones); drawing and talking about students heroes and their traits; drawing, making collages and painting (students of all ages enjoy it but I would say the ones from cycle four have the most fun with it); talking about getting along and being a good friend and students awarding their classmates for the most special features they show (loyalty, kindness, hard work, among others). These activities have worked with kids of all ages, especially when they compete against each other and get a prize when they win. Nevertheless, even though most activities are good, there are some recurring subjects that students notice, some activities are very similar to other ones about the same subject and it sometimes gets a little repetitive, this is my only objection regarding the curriculum. Although discipline has not been a big problem in my classroom, it is the attention of the students what seems to get out of my hands at times and I have to say, this has only happened with the students of cycle three. The groups from cycle one, two and four are very cooperative and they are willing to pay attention to the class and follow instructions; however, students from cycle 3 are the most difficult ones in terms of catching their attention. I am sure it is their age and the transitional stage they are going through what makes them an easy target for distraction; yet, in these cases I look for popular activities that are appealing to them (Tv programs, songs, singers, movies, etc.) and combine these elements with the subjects and activities described in the curriculum, as a result, I have a more interesting and appealing class and I get students attention. My classroom experiences have been very positive and for this reason I am very grateful. It is important to add how well educated and caring most of my students are in terms of pupils and human beings. I cannot feel but proud of my Immersion Room’s kids and I feel very pleased about their progress in a foreign language learning process.

[shapecolombia-blog]

Travel and Life: My life in Colombia (The Place to be) 

Being a foreigner in Colombia isn´t an easy task, facing language difficulties, culture shock, weather barriers and transportation. Talking about the language, Spanish was strange to me even though it was quite similar to French my native language.  The only things I knew and could say were PROXIMA PARADAS, DESTINO PORTAL SUBA, MANI MANI MANI, QUE PENA and USHH . 

Concerning the culture, really appreciate the polite attitude of Colombians, always ready to say BUENAS and GRACIAS. The weather aspect has also been a difficulty, coming from a country and city with an average of 30 degrees, Bogotá has been too cold for me. Coming to transportation, our famous transmilenio,  too useful despite the fact it´s always full, similar to market sometimes and reggaeton party. Transmilenio has been really helpful for me taking people from the south ( portal sur) to the north ( portal de norte), west to east.  But all of these are part of the wonderful and awesome challenge of doing an internship abroad.  Every little thing that happens while you are abroad is an opportunity to learn and share. I came to COLOMBIA (the place to be) to teach English, yet a part of me also came to learn about this rich, awesome, amazing, wonderful and diverse culture full of peace and harmony.   The best part of it all is that all those things that at one point seemed strange and difficult to understand end up being assimilated as our own. Speechless to describe the marvelous land scape of VALLE DE CAUCA, CUNDINAMARCA, BOYACÁ. Dumb founded by the beautiful beaches of SAN ANDRÉS, CARTAGENA and SANTA MARTA. Impressed by the hardworking attitude of the students I have been teaching, the magical historic center of Bogota CANDELARIA, the mysterious salt cathedral of ZIPAQUIRA, the amazing COFFEE REGION. If I can give you one advice and only one, it would be the following: don’t let others live your life for yourself. If you really expect to enjoy life to the fullest, you must see things for yourself. Come to Latin America, Come to Colombia, Come to Bogotá, believe in education and shape Colombia. Thanks Secretaría de Educacion, Thanks AIESEC and in particular AIESEC in Colombia, thanks Colombia for this amazing experience.

[shapecolombia-blog]

Shaping each other through language and laughter

My experience in a school in Colombia goes much further than just being in the classroom. School here  is so different than in the places I happened to see in Europe. My first culture shock already started when I saw my school from the outside: with its high walls and barbed wire on top it honestly didn’t look like a place, where I would be excited to go if I was a student. Luckily the people on the inside are a lot friendlier. Students and teachers have a much more affectionate relationship, hugging and kissing is rather normal. But on the other hand a lot of discipline is asked from the students which includes wearing your uniform correctly. No matter how hot it is, if you don’t wear a nice white shirt, don’t take off the uniform sweater.

Students can be very affectionate towards a teacher, especially if she is from a misterious country far away (in my case Germany). They really really want to talk to me, in the classroom, in the school yard, even if it is only “Hello teacher” for the fifth time that day. Sometimes it seems they are more interested in the teacher’s progress in Spanish than their own progress in English. But I made a deal with them: if they do their best in speaking English in my classroom, I will speak some Spanish with them in the yard. Some of my students have become real friends in these three months. Although we were warned that the level of English of our students might not be too high, it was still a shock how little some of them know. Sometimes I almost wanted to cry, for example when students of grade 9 answered the question “How are you?” with “Yes”. So much would have to be done, but often the first necessary step is to make them realize why they need to learn English. For the older ones, this might be studying at univeristy, for the little ones having access to a lot of cool cartoons. It doesn’t really matter what it is, as long as it is meaningful for the students and motivates them. Sometimes this first step is already hard enough. Southamerica is a huge continent, nearly everyone speaks Spanish, some of my students have not even left Cundinamarca in their lives. When motivation is established, I need to take care that they don’t loose it to fast by making them understand that you don’t need perfect English to speak English. Say one or two words and you are litterally speaking English! And sometimes you know more English than you think, because they are very similar to Spanish. Parque=park, nacionalidad=nationality, banano=banana. I as a teacher learnt a lot from my students as well and I am extremely grateful for that. I learnt to celebrate small progress with my students. My students can remember and more or less correctly pronounce all of the seven classroom chores? That calls for smiley stickers! I learnt to be very flexible and creative. My students are supposed to draw bakeries and shops, but they rather want to draw ghosts and pumpkins on the streets, because Halloween is coming up, Why not?, as long as they label them in English. If my students don’t enjoy what they are learning, they won’t remember it anyway. I learnt about the magic of sharing your personal life. One picture of me and my sister in front of our house gives me more attention than any children song and they are almost proud if they can say that they have a sister, too! Of course I learnt a lot about Colombia, the culture and it’s extreme diversity and had more than one of my Europe-centered perspectives corrected. I am also extremely grateful to the teachers of my school, that made me one of them. The atmosphere in the teachers’ room is always very positive. The teachers really take the time to rest and talk with their collegues, no matter how much they have to do. They share coffee and cookies, joke around or discuss current topics of the school and they city. A very nice experience was the month of love and friendship when we played “Secret friend” among the teachers, ensweetened each other’s lives for a month and ended the game with a commonly prepared lunch. I am especially grateful to my support teacher and the music teacher who encouraged me to join the Vallenato group of the school and sing one song in Spanish. It even helped me to get more respect from my students, they feel like I am one of them. Shortly summarising before leaving is probably this: if you would put my students in an English test they would maybe not score much higher than they did in July. But I at least hope they could say about themselves: „I am a worthy and talented person. I have the right to learn and I want to learn, because I can be what I want to be if I don’t give up.” If not in English, then at least in Spanish. I also hope that I have influenced some of the teachers that education can be different, that it can be fun for both students and teachers. And with this I humbly hope that I have shaped a bit of Colombia: some Colombian minds and hearts. Colombia, my school and my students have definitely shaped me.

[shapecolombia-blog]

Shape Colombia: Challenge yourself as a teacher.

14th July 2015. That was the day I landed here in Bogotá. Looking back, it never ceases to amaze me how far I (we?) have come. It seems just yesterday that I was fighting tooth and nail with my folks back home, trying to convince them (and myself) that this Internship was a good idea. Today I find myself hopelessly in love with this country, and I cannot for the love of god, remember how or when it happened, but it’s a serious affliction and I cannot seem to get rid of.

Of all things that I hold dear here, little is of greater importance to me than my Immersion Room here. Throughout the length of this project, I have considered myself extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to teach hundreds of students age 11-16, as well as work with innumerable teachers, no matter if it’s the Immersion room in my own school, or the “centro de interés” classroom, I would not trade these experiences for anything in this world. And as this semester approaches its closing days, I’ve come to realize that the classroom experience doesn’t just shape your students’ abilities and attitudes, but it inevitably also shapes us as a teacher. 

To put it simply, I don't believe I’ve had even a single day of teaching where I did not learn some new methodology or did not gain some new insight into the world of teaching and education. The whole idea of this project is to immerse the students in new cultures and concepts, and teach a language through new ideas and values. And hence I’ve gone beyond teaching them just English. I’ve played games, I’ve danced and sang with the students, and I’ve celebrated Love, Peace and friendship and so much more than words can express.

But to say that teaching here has been a walk in the park would be leading the reader astray. The challenge is very much real, and so is the struggle that accompanies it, but you persevere and you realize it’s very much worth it. It is often frustrating, coming from a different culture, we hold different point of views and as teachers we expect results from students. One of the major challenges that I faced here was to reorient myself as teacher and let go of any of the preconceived notions that I’ve ever held about teaching or about my students. In this classroom, It’s all about exploration and discovery. It’s about motivating them to learn about the world, about how they can be better at English, and how they can further use this knowledge to gain more knowledge. 

Then there are the bright moments that have kept me going in times of frustration. The moment a kid from the classroom runs up to you and hugs you tightly, you persevere. When a teenager tells you that this is the best class of his life, you persevere. When you see the efforts these kids put in, you have no choice but to smile and yes, persevere.

As a teacher it makes me extremely happy to see that Colombia is investing heavily in the education and future of its children and these are truly revolutionary times, and prospects are bright for these children, as they grow to be true global citizens.

Ritika - A proud Shaper.

[shapecolombia-blog]

Break Barriers: Become a Shaper! 

Come to Colombia to one of the best experiences in your life! Help us change public education by teaching English or French in one of the +100 schools in the disctrict of Bogotá D.C, the capital of this amazing country!

In over two years, we’ve reached out to more than 60.000 children with Immersion classes that not only teach a second languange but also offering the chance for children to live a multi-cultural experience without leaving their classrooms!

As a Shaper, you will work on one of the public schools that participate in the Shape Colombia-Aulas de Inmersion Project, for 6 hours per day, from Monday to Friday and you will be asked to attend additional events hosted by AIESEC in Colombia or Secretaría de Educación Distrital from time to time.

Your daily work will be focused on strenghtening a second language (English or French) for and sharing your culture with the students in your room, all this through dynamic and innovative methodologies, supported by the Project Team

As for the benefits, you will receive a monthly stipend of COP $1.710.000, a travel allowance of COP $350.000 once, an accomodation allowance or COP $200.000 and an additional allowance of COP $250.000  with the last stipend. You will be affiliated to the Local Health Insurance - EPS and the Labour Risk Insurance - ARL, and may use them when you need them.

Since we are working with tax-payer’s money, all this great work must be reported to Secretaría de Educación Distrital, in the form of weekly reports and two (2) different monthly reports that are evaluated as part of your performance.

Apply today and live an adventure at bit.ly/becomeashaper

[shapecolombia-blog]

Colombia... A different kind of normal

I arrived in Colombia in February 2015. This means I have been here for 8 months already and, hands down, this has been the absolute best experience I’ve had in my life, let alone being a wish come true. Like every important change in your life, it’s very scary and makes you really anxious, but it’s worth every single drop of courage you make yourself have to go through with it.

Coming here allowed me to get in touch with as many cultures as I could imagine, once I got to meet all this crazy mixture of people working for the project. My mind opened to endless different customs, languages and expressions. I got to practice my Italian with a whole group of Italians (real ones!) who lived with me and showed me everything I should know about their country, their culture, their cooking, and their language, even the different accents they have and how to identify them. They became my friends and, eventually, a group of people I will never forget. Without a doubt, they changed my life in the best of ways. And I’m only talking about the Italians. 

Going back to the clash of cultures, one can’t even think about, for example, how many different hand gestures people have for the same things. For example, just to say “let’s go” I already know four! I learned people from some countries do not brush their teeth before breakfast (what?) and it’s completely normal for them to do it only afterwards. I learned that people from some countries go to the beach with their friends and they don’t drink! (whaaaat?!). I think this is only a Latin-American thing though, but I never expected it. You start to think people are not normal, until you realize how relative the concept of normality is. 

Colombia and Colombians are not the exception, and learning all the slang they have here, even though I’m a Spanish speaker, is almost like learning a new language (you need to memorize words and everything in order to understand their conversations).

I won’t go too deeply into the food topic. Let’s just say their normality is very different than mine, but opening up to new (and “weird”) things have led me to try unexpectedly delicious dishes.

In my experience, I’m really glad I decided to come to Colombia. Despite the language and cultural differences, our personality is somewhat similar, and I have gotten to get along with them very nicely. You can’t imagine how many things you can learn from your support teacher, not to mention from your students! It’s like they’re the teachers all the time, seriously.

It’s not easy to move away from your family and people you see every day to start living in an unknown world, that moves against everything you have become used to, and worse, among strangers. The thing is once you do it, you end up finding yourself incredibly happy, the moment you realize all those strangers receive and welcome you just as if you were another “stranger” like them.

[shapecolombia-blog]

The only risk is wanting to stay: why I actually did so

Whenever I heard the phrase, "Colombia: the only risk is wanting to stay" I would turn my nose up, thinking that I had everything figured out and wanting to stay longer wouldn't even cross my head. 

My plan was quite simple: Since I had already been accepted in the project that I wanted for so long, I would stay for those 4 months, explore the country and leave, because of course I had other plans back home. I refused to become like my other Aiesec friends who did their internships here and always tried to make their stay a bit longer. Some of them didn't even return, yet. I thought I was going to be different. I thought I wasn't going to fall under the spell of the magic realism that surrounds the country. I couldn't have been any more wrong and, to be honest, I am glad I was. But things weren't that easy. I didn't stay because I adored it all from day one. To be honest, when I first got to Bogota, I hated it. I had a terrible flight, my nose wouldn't stop bleeding and I forgot my bag of makeup in the Immigration Zone (which means I never saw it again). I took a shower and felt super cold, struggling to sleep I remember I thought of my grandmothers words before I left my city.She said: "You are going to suffer, my dear." Some time passed, my classes were amazing and for a long time they were the best part of my day, bringing me joy and laughter. I also finally managed to adapt to Bogota, to its crazy weather and its speed. However, that crazy desire to stay longer hadn't knocked on my heart yet. Until I went to the Coast. Seeing all the beautiful bright colors of the buildings, tasting all the sea food deliciously made, experiencing the heat, the sun, the "costeño" kindness, the colombian music, the dancing and all the natural beauty this country has changed something in me. That is when I first started to understand and live all the magical realism people would boast about. That was when I first felt my heart as warm as the sand under my feet and my soul as light as the breeze flowing through my hair. From this moment on, I only got to want more and more. I wanted to join every single trip, every single get together, I wanted to see Colombia for what it really was. I wanted to try every single typical dish and to dance every time salsa would start playing. So when the project was about to be over, I had two things very clear in mind, first one is that I loved my school and my students and second one was that I wanted to stay longer. Yes, I had to bite my tongue and admit I had fallen for the only risk I thought wouldn't touch me. To fall in love with a different country, first you have to give it a chance. I gave Colombia a chance and ever since this day, I haven't been disappointed, as every single morning I can wake up assured there will be some new thing, be it a graffiti I haven't noticed before, a beautiful sunset, some artistic event on the streets, a museum I haven't visited yet or simply the diversity of people around me. Thereof, I recommend anyone with an open heart and mind to join this lively country and to have the best internship of your life in Colombia.

[shapecolombia-blog]

“We Believe Education Can Shape The World”

The first time I heard this I remember thinking to myself "hmm… this sounds like an overstatement'".  Honestly, it felt like it was too ambitious and quite unlikely to happen. At the moment, I was looking for a career turn, had a hunger for adventure and loved the idea of working with kids, so I decided to apply for the project and see what this could give me. It's been more than a year and three editions of Shape Colombia so far and is safe to say that I couldn't be more proud and glad I decided to take that chance.

Now that I've been living here for quite a while, for me it feels like home. The kindness of the people I shared my experience here is like no other, truly one of a kind. This project and Colombia have given me challenging and embracing colleagues, amazing friends and a noble purpose to work for every day, all of these while enjoying the most beautiful landscapes.

Shape Colombia gave me the opportunity to discover new skills that I didn't believe I had in me. It gave me the chance to work with and for the children in my class, to spend time with them, hear them speak English and celebrate their little successes along with them.

Spending my days at school was both fun and challenging. It was not an easy job, I have to admit, the different social contexts of the students and their families, the areas where we teach, and all of these aspects really make one think about the social differences we face every day and how much the world needs people that are understanding, emphatic and caring. And the best thing, you become one of these people.

Our daily routine consisted of English classes that helped the children and teenagers to learn about things that matter to them. We went beyond grammar and listening activities, we enjoyed sharing songs and games, giving opinions and getting to know one another. Personally, I will always remember talking to their families after class and chatting with their parents about how they try to learn more by using the house computer or their mom's phone. To me it felt like little by little, one session after the other, things were actually shifting, an idea was being planted on those kids minds: We can do this, and have fun while doing it!

Today I am about to finish my internship and I look back to each experience of this year working with the Shape Colombia team, and I can't help to have a huge smile on my face, a smile that comes from the joy of being lucky enough to fight for something I truly believe in, with a great team by my side and learning every day from who I like to call "my kids".

Now, "We believe education can shape the world" to me is an accurate statement. And I can say that I know, from my own experience, that education does shape the world by shaping us.