Learning through Service & CAS

When our national authorities decreed social, preventive and compulsory isolation, it was the beginning of a period of uncertainty and bewilderment for us, of challenges, but also of opportunities.

At the same time that we tried to redefine and rediscover our work, we embarked on the difficult task of continuing to be present in those spaces where we have been for years; of continuing to accompany our students in building links with the community that we are part of. We were determined that isolation would not imply a distancing; we did not allow virtuality to erase our traces.

And thus we continued building networks and bridges. This is how the Campaña Solidaria de Emergencia Covid 19 was born, nurtured by all the institutions that are part of the Comunidad Ampliada San Andrés, with the firm purpose of responding to the needs of the San Fernando district organisations with which we work. and to continue having the possibility of being agents of social change.

The Campaign was the first impulse to which countless volunteers joined (parents, students, former students, teachers) and the nucleus around which projects did not stop germinating. With deep emotion and gratitude for everything that was made possible, we share here some of the outstanding activities:

PEDAGOGICAL CONTINUITY

The Distance Tutoring project was born as an answer to the question: how could schools carry out pedagogical continuity in the given scenario? It was thus that the idea of accompanying children and teenagers who were limited by the new virtuality arose. Over 60 children and teenagers from five institutions were part of this programme: Escuela Primaria 11 Delta Argentino, Escuela 9 in Cucha Cucha, public schools in Añatuya, Santiago del Estero, Nuestra Sra. del Rosario, both primary and secondary levels in San Fernando, and children of staff from our community. We contacted them and bonded, and accompanied them to carry out their schoolwork. This programme included financial support with a grant for telephone charges awarded to many students.

VIRTUAL TRIP TO AÑATUYA, SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO:

The proposal was mainly aimed at students of the last three years with an aim to preserving the continuity of the Haciendo Camino project, both from the liaison itself and the economic point of view. Virtual workshops were designed

with the members of this Foundation referring to the work spaces within their own organisation. We developed a presentation on sexuality among young people and a "recreational workshop" with the boys from the Refugio, the children’s home in Añatuya.

The "travellers" paid a virtual ticket and the proceeds were transferred to Haciendo Camino for the purchase of food for the families most in need within its population due to the pandemic situation.

We want to share the reflections of those who "travelled" through this virtual blog: https://padlet.com/juanalanusse/1fg89i8jk91lsn8w

FEELING CONNECTED

Our students began to come up with ideas trying to reach those people who were in organisations such as the Geriátrico de Vicente López and the Hogar Puertas del Cielo, among others, with whom they had lost faceto-face contact.

One of the ideas that flourished was to create two YouTube channels, with videos aimed at children and grandparents. Link for Geriátrico: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS2ivYc8OP7Sgz57UpvP7A

Link for Children’s Home: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UC9Nl4k8yq8gNdGp1T9-ryZg?view_ as=subscriber

Another idea was to virtually "enter" the Children’s Home with a recreational physical activity day.

Through video calls they also built a bridge with the elderly people to share a pleasant conversation and read a book.

FOCUSING ON PHYSICAL HEALTH

Based on a WHO report on the benefits of movement during the quarantine, a group of students led a research project to delve into the subject. After obtaining data, they prepared a proposal to share with the St. Andrew’s community. This consisted of a series of interactive pdfs with suggestions for the winter holidays.

Many other students, within the framework of their IB personal projects, created virtual spaces to share among classmates and even teachers, such as yoga and functional fitness exercises.

ACROSS THE RIVER

Our relationship with the Delta Primaria 11 school and Jardín 915 has continued for over 30 years. 2020 was no exception. We moved quickly when learning of their urgent need for drinking water due to the fact that families were not able to move from the island to the mainland during the entire phase one of isolation. We obtained a generous donation from Danone and completed it with Nilus distributor for the third shipment. A purchase of stationery products took place so that the children had art supplies to use during winter holidays as well as a donation of clothes from the Mothers in charge of the Uniform Sale. At the end of the year, through a donation from Duravit, the students of the Jardín received a Christmas gift that the teachers gave them at the year’s closure.

"UNPLASTIFYING" HABITS

A group of Y10 boys participated in the Unplastify Challenge for Latin American Schools 2020. This programme seeks to get schools involved with the current problem of plastics in the ocean, through a competition that invites students to devise, develop, and implement strategies to rid their schools of

plastics. It is a proposal that guides them to be able to manage projects and interconnect with school teams from 5 countries around the world. Everyone participated through an app where they could cross data with other teams, forging a collaborative spirit.

1 + TREE!

After the beautiful experience of the Sea of Learning in Y9 together with Peter Dunne, director of La Lucena, an idea came up to prepare a Workshop for students and parents to consider the value and importance of trees in our lives and the planet.

We designed an afforestation course to raise and produce our own trees. It was an incredible experience. This production is growing and waiting to reach its destination in a future occasion.

A NEW LOOK

Y7 and Y8 students participated in the Volunteer Programme for the First Inclusive Bingo. This programme was designed for the educational community with the aim of raising awareness about the difficulties and problems of deaf people and their culture, myths, prejudices, etc. They participated in the construction of an awareness campaign.

TOY BUILDING WORKSHOP

We celebrated Children’s Month in August. Together with a group of students from across the Secondary school, we organised a team to create, re-use and give a new meaning to materials, crafts and toys. Thus, the team got down to work, building more than a hundred toys that were delivered to the children at the Complejo Hogar Zanocchi.

By means of the craft of sewing, crocheting, painting, recycling, etc. we designed and gave life to new educational toys. It was a project where we learned to give new value to the child’s right to play.

MAKING FACE MASKS

The pandemic surprised us by requiring the use of a protective barrier before we had acquired masks as an essential garment of our clothing. Companies were not able to produce the necessary amounts, and on the other hand, not all of us had the means to obtain them. Within this framework, a group of Y11 students led a campaign to make and

collect masks. Little by little, more volunteers joined with donations of material, time to sew and the loan of cars to make deliveries. These were received by the Complejo Zanocchi and some of the CONIN centres, among others.

TRAINING ON THE ACCOMPANYING OF THE ELDERLY

It is known that the elderly were and continue to be among the groups hardest hit by the pandemic, both in terms of health and emotionally. This circumstance was not unknown to us, so together with the tutor groups in this area, we carried out a training course to help prepare ourselves to accompany this social group in a practical and meaningful way. We were able to understand their needs, their capabilities, and their timing. The proposal included talks with doctors, neuroscientists and specialists in the field.

AUDIO STORIES

This extra at home time opened for many of our students the possibility to rediscover the pleasure of reading. This situation made them aware that many of the children in the institutions we work with had lost contact with a variety of books when they stopped going to school in person. This is how the audiobook YouTube channel was born: our students recalled readings from their childhood that had touched them and made videos narrating these stories. Below is the link to the channel so that you can visit it: https://www.youtube. com/channel/UC1ZnKNb8bJ4GOnyU57fkcTg

PUBLICISING THE EMERGENCY CAMPAIGN

Influenced by the enthusiasm that all members of the Comunidad Ampliada San Andrés applied to working together and with a single purpose, a group of Y12 students assisted them by creating an Instagram account inviting people to participate and share the achievements: @ campanasolidaria.cv19.

CONFINEMENT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Finding ourselves confined in our homes during the first months of the pandemic was a challenge for all of us. We were restricted to the same space to work, study, eat and rest. And, probably, the greatest difficulty we encountered was to use that same place to do some physical activity that would help keep us healthy. This made us think carefully about the value of sports, not only in a physical sense but also an emotional one. We then got in touch with members of the Organización Cuida la Bocha in charge of running a women’s hockey team with the inmates at the 46 San Martín prison unit. We shared a series of meetings with them, where issues such as prejudice, social reintegration and sports were discussed. The students in the last years of Secondary were able to participate in these meetings.

LET’S CELEBRATE

Trying to recover the school’s own interchange, talks where interests, concerns, and achievements are shared, a group of Y12 students designed a website where they collected expressions and feelings regarding what it meant for this 2020 cohort to go through their CAS programme in a virtual way.

Romina Fumo LtS Coordinator

Agustina Cardinale

CAS Coordinator

ARTS FESTIVAL

In keeping with the tradition that we have sustained for the last three years, a group of IB students decided to organise the Festival of the Arts, this time in virtual form. The invitation was open to the entire Secondary and its main objective was to share our passion. Throughout the afternoon we got together to share readings of texts written by students and teachers, to see the short film premiere of the Film Studies students, to contemplate and comment on art pieces and to listen to the songs that the talented members of our community played for us.