In this, the last week of our World Identity theme,  it was time to bring things back to a local level and ask the kids to create a flag that represented their individual barrio or sector. Each kid did their own flag design and we asked them to think about the things that they saw in their neighbourhood and the things that they liked or didn’t like.

On the other side of their flag, the kids stuck pages from a book called Mi Ecuador which is a 6^th Grade School Textbook here. The inclusion of pages from the book were in order to participate in a project called Dysarticulate which originated in the UK and aims to highlight awareness about illiteracy. The Mi Ecuador book talks about what is so special about the country with lots of practical exercises designed to improve children’s literacy levels and vocabulary. Therefore this book seemed to be the perfect combination with the sector flags as it added to our world and Ecuador identity theme.

Once the kids had made their double sided flags they were able to plant them outside and we took photos. We asked the kids to really think about the layout of their flag creations so that through the photos we could transmit not only the pages from the book but give viewers a real sense of the environment in which these live their lives.

Inspired by the 2012 Olympics in London, UK 7 young people from Juconi Ecuador participated in an international photography project– Create Compete Collaborate.

Motivated by this theme of cultural exchange, the participants exchanged photos that represented their lives and identities with young people from All Sorts Youth Group in Brighton UK.

As well as exchanging photos that they’d taken, both sets of participants were able to comment on each other’s photos. This evolved into a lively exchange in which both groups had the opportunity to ask questions that they wouldn’t normally have had the chance to ask  and it exposed the range of cultural differences that exist between these very different nations; the differences that we all take for granted in our day to day lives.

The Ecuadorian participants used the project as an opportunity to create a “window” into their lives for the Brighton young people who’d be viewing their photos. Therefore, we have a huge variety of photos, including: one young person’s mother preparing chickens to cook and sell in her foodstall,  a marimba dance group that another young person is part of, inside the church that one of the group members attends and a variety of pictures which express the realities of living in the marginal sectors (slums) which are home to these young people of Guayaquil.

A very big thank you, or muchisima gracias, to our participants who have constantly surprised and entertained us with their comments, insights, questions and of course their incredible and powerful photos.

Gracias Anabel, Joel, Lilibeth, Marcos Abel, Michelle, Nicole, Omar and Steven and well done to you all.

Anabel's Dad - a Motorcycle enthusiast

Anabel's Mum preparing the chickens

What's everybody looking at?

Little boy in the sectors

A giant stool sculpture near Lilibeth's home

Lilibeth's church

Marcos Abel and brothers

Local neighbourhood kid

Omar's view

Speaks for itself!

Michelle

Michelle's view over the neighbourhood

Nicole's kitchen

Washing

Steven and his Marimba dance troup

The next generation

At the beginning of Colonial Vacacional, which is the equivalent of a summer activity scheme, we launched our next theme: The Music of Ecuador. As part of this we had a quiz in which we discussed the huge range of musical styles that exist in Ecuador: Pasillo, Marimba, Sanjuanito, Pasacalle and Yarabí to name a few. We played ´name that song´ in which the children had to guess the singer and the name of a song by a famous Ecuadorian Pasillo singer and were hugely impressed by how well the groups did. Our group in Fertisa did us particularly proud with one of the groups getting a full 12 out of 12 points – well done Fertisa!

Marvellous Maracas!

For each of the subsequent sessions, we gave the groups new instruments to make which included: Maracas made out of old plastic bottles, pasta and scrap paper; Drums made out of plastic lunch containers, masking tape and material; and Tambourines made out of polystyrene plates with dried beans, secured with staples or sewn shut with wool. There were some beautiful creations in all of the groups and we even managed to create a few bands after doing some very fun and even noisier beat workshops with them! The children loved the chance to make a racket and it was fabulous to see them investing so much time and attention into the process of making these brilliant instruments.

In two of our three Colonial groups, the sessions culminated in a crescendo in which we had the kids using their feet to create art. Again, this was all about breaking down the perception that art has to be perfect and feet art is definitely messy creativity at its best! So we had groups dancing on material to the tunes that we played. They dipped their feet into the paint and danced whilst the other group members accompanied the songs with their instruments. Fantastic footwork we say and a fun finale to Colonial Vacacional!