2022 Fall Impact Newsletter

IMPACT NEWSLETTER

Photo Credit: José Ramírez

Fall 2022: Loss and Recovery

2022 has been a remarkable year. Our students’ return to in-person learning has brought the campus back to life. As the academic school year draws to a close, we are busy making preparations for the first in-person graduation since 2019! November also marks the official ground-breaking for our new middle school.

As we embrace the future and celebrate these milestones, thanks to your support, our day-today remains focused on addressing what the World Bank refers to as the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region’s “triple curse” caused by the pandemic: the combined negative impact on health, education, and income. For many of our students, their learning and psychosocial health recovery process will take three to six years.

These struggles and our efforts to address them, bring us back to our humble beginnings in a borrowed church room across from the dump, where Safe Passage founder Hanley Denning said, “we have work to do.” Fortunately, with your help, today there are many more of us to do the work and support each student in achieving their dreams.

Trauma and the Pandemic

by Pablo Callejas, Director of Integrated Health Services Childhood is a unique period in the life of a human being. This stage is characterized by rapid brain development, at a speed that will not be repeated in life. It lays the lifelong foundation for health, learning, productivity, and well-being.

One of the greatest threats to the full development of children is trauma caused by exposure to different forms of violence, such as observing violence among their caregivers or in their daily surroundings.

This is especially true of gender-based violence, or being directly exposed to sexual, physical, or psychological violence,

Pablo Callejas and the Integrated Health Services Team

including physical punishment.

The pandemic has been difficult for everyone, but according to UNICEF, in situations of extreme poverty, young children are exposed to an increased risk of physical and psychological abuse, and even neglect.

For some children, home is not the safest place.

Situations of violence and mental illness have increased around the world, and Safe Passage and our students have not been immune. Every day we realize the effects of the pandemic on our students’ mental health. Problems like anxiety, mood disorders and acting out in the classroom have all increased.

“COVID-19 has put the well-being of an entire generation at risk. Even before the pandemic, many children and adolescents carried the burden of mental illness without support. In Latin America and the Caribbean, it is estimated that 15% of children and adolescents between 10 and 19 years old (around 16 million) live with a diagnosed mental disorder. That’s higher than the global average of about 13 percent.”

- UNICEF

So, what are we doing?

As healthy brain development depends on the quality of interactions that one experiences with their environment, we strive to provide loving and sensitive care through a stable environment.

Not only do we ensure that the student’s health and nutrition needs are met while they are with us on campus, but we also provide protection from risk and exposure to early learning opportunities that they otherwise would not have.

In support of a stable and healthy environment, and in response to the emotional needs of our students, our psychologists and at least one teacher from every grade level have begun training in psychological first aid.

These trainings give them strategies and tools to: •

Better listen to students

•

Create and foster an environment of trust and acceptance

•

Validate emotions

•

Identify emotional needs and concerns

•

Analyze possible solutions

•

Provide concrete actions to address the crisis that is happening

For example, a teacher recently encountered a student who was angry and acting out in class.

Normally, their initial reaction would be to reprimand the student and get them back to work.

However, utilizing their extensive trauma training, the teacher was able to apply “psychological first aid” and identify that the students’ behavior was due to trauma at home. They were able to talk with the student and help them work through what was going on. They were then able to connect the student with our social work and psychology teams to further support them with their concerns at home.

These are the types of situations where additional trauma training for staff and teachers will continue to benefit our students.

Academic Recovery Steps We Are Taking to Address Learning Loss Throughout the two year government-mandated

greatest losses to be in math and reading, in

school closure, we were able to keep our students

grades 4 through 6 (20% and 50% respectively).

enrolled and engaged in remote learning, with

Because grades 7 through 9 were more recently

access to our integrated health services, food

added we do not have data for comparison, but

and nutrition, and other life sustaining measures.

estimate similar losses in these levels.

However, the learning loss sustained as a result of distance learning was significant.

Extra measures being put in place to make up for these learning losses include adding a Learning

According to our comparative diagnostic

Enrichment Program for math, reading and

assessments, the cumulative impact of the

writing, targeting our middle school students on

COVID-19 pandemic on our students’ academic

Fridays. We hope to add an additional Saturday

achievement has been considerable. We focused

Learning Enrichment Program for lower grade

our comparisons on test scores from immediately

levels, as funding permits.

before the pandemic (fall 2019), and more recent testing from early spring 2022. We found the

The Progrentis Learning Enrichment Platform is another tool that we hope to implement in the coming months. It is a technology which has been proven effective in accelerating learning, skills and competencies, particularly reading comprehension, by incorporating school curriculum through games. This student-centered, game-based learning, focuses on what students will be able to use in their future work, and within their social and personal environments. Not only does it accelerate and enrich the learning process focused on the fundamentals of reading and math, but also aids students in informational literacy in a digital world.

Continued support from our donors will help Safe Passage put these, and other measures, into place to address learning loss.

English and Technology Program Updating Curriculum for the Present Day Guatemala City is an international city with

tutoring to students needing extra help, and

English and technology fast becoming

leading conversation classes to encourage fluidity

indispensable requirements for any profession.

in English.

For our students to be competitive in the job market, we plan to offer them a professional, internationally-competitive English and technology program.

Beginning in 2023, we will follow an international

Meet Vivian A Graduate Success Story

English curriculum accessed online via tablets, as well as through written materials, so students will become comfortable using English and technology from an early age. Our curriculum will focus on language and technology literacy while also exploring themes related to community values and local heroes the students can relate to; encouraging family and community engagement, vocational skill development and lifelong learning.

Our high school students will transition to a twoyear Business English course, preparing them for the work environment.

In order to ensure the success of our English and technology program, we have hired Sarah de Lemus, a professional with almost a decade of experience. In addition, we will be recruiting trained, skilled, professional, long-term volunteers.

As international tertiary-level students and professionals, our volunteers will be technology literate, ESL-trained teachers, and native speakers. Their focus will be on: supporting our local teachers in large classrooms, giving more individualized attention to the students, offering

Vivian is 19 years old and will soon be graduating from high school with a specialty in software and digital content development. Thanks to the help of Safe Passage, she plans to attend university and will be starting an internship with Cemaco, a local chain of stores in Guatemala.

We will be sharing more on Vivian’s journey, along with other graduate success stories, this November. Sign up for updates by subscribing to our e-news mailing at info@safepassage. org and keep an eye on our social media channels in the coming weeks!

SAFE PASSAGE GLOBAL HAPPENINGS WORLDWIDE Matching Gift Program November 1 - December 31, 2022 From November 1st through December 31st you can see your new or increased gift DOUBLED, up to $150,000! Thanks to our generous match donors, we are able to offer this special opportunity to maximize your impact and make your gift go even further. Help change the lives of our students by going to www.safepassage.org/give today!

GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA From Trash to Treasure November 3, 2022 In collaboration with Stare Vie The Store in Guatemala, we will be hosting our second annual fashion show, From Trash to Treasure. This year’s event will be in person at the Alliance Francaise in Guatemala on November 3rd, with proceeds going to support Safe Passage students! Stay tuned for more details or check out our events page at www.safepassage.org/our-events.

Básico Groundbreaking November 10, 2022 While it will be many months before it is fully completed, we are thrilled to be formally breaking ground on our new Básico (middle school) building on November 10th! This is an important next step for Safe Passage and one that is greatly needed, as we are running out of space for our older students. We will share more information about the progress as it comes and will be posting pictures from the groundbreaking ceremony on our social media. You can sign up for updates by emailing info@safepassage.org to be part of our e-news mailing list.

NEW BOOK OUT NOW! Angel of the Garbage Dump

In October, reporter and author Jacob Wheeler released his new book, Angel of the Garbage Dump: How Hanley

How Hanley Denning Changed the World, One Child at a Time

Denning Changed the World, One Child at a Time.

Wheeler’s book about our founder, Hanley Denning, is described as a story about hope and optimism, bravery and idealism, and finding the light in the darkest of places.

It also shares the story of Safe Passage, from its humble beginnings to present day. For more information or to preorder a copy of the book, visit www.AngeloftheGarbageDump.com.

We recently held two book reading events in Maine, including one at Bowdoin College - Hanley’s alma mater and will be hosting two more in Guatemala on November

Jacob Wheeler

9th and 12th. For more information, or to stay in the loop for future book readings, head to our events page at www.safepassage.org/our-events or email us at info@safepassage.org.

Pictures from Portland and Brunswick, Maine book readings

Safe Passage Camino Seguro

WAYS TO GIVE

Help build paths to hope, education, and opportunity.

DOUBLE THE IMPACT - Thanks to our matching gift program, from November 1st through December 31st, your new or increased gift up to $150,000, can have twice the impact! Help us recover from the losses that we are facing by heading to www.safepassage.org/give and make a gift today.

ONE-TIME GIFT - Making a contribution takes only minutes, but the impact lasts a lifetime. Your gift will not only

support our ongoing vital programs but also help us to expand our services and provide a safe environment for our students and staff. Please call us or visit www.safepassage.org/donate to make a gift by credit card or PayPal; U.S. checks are also accepted in our Maine office (address below).

RECURRING - Education takes sustained support and your routine gift helps us plan our programs for the future.

Just sign up once and your gifts, made on a recurring basis of your choosing, will help us maintain stability and more accurately budget for our programs, especially in these uncertain times. Visit www.safepassage.org/recurring-giving to learn more.

PLANNED GIVING - By including Safe Passage in your estate plans, you become a member of the Safe Passage

Visionaries, where you can make more impactful charitable gifts which you might not be able to consider during your lifetime. Please visit https://www.safepassage.org/legacy/ to learn more about planned giving at Safe Passage.

Safe Passage/Camino Seguro U.S. 49 Farm View Dr, Suite 302, New Gloucester, ME 04260 | 207-846-1188 Guatemala 6a. Avenida 11-95, Zona 7 Colonia Landivar, Ciudad de Guatemala | 502-2440-4388 www.safepassage.org | info@safepassage.org