Talleres

So waaaaaayyyy back when I wrote about something called “Talleres” or workshops that each of the basico kids works in. The talleres are a set of 5 workshops which include: the panaderia (bakery), sastreria (tailor shop), belleza (beauty salon), herreria (metal workshop), and carpinteria (wood workshop).

Each of the children who attend school on the basico level (middle school level in the US) participates in one of these 5 workshops as part of their schooling. Before the school year begins, the kids preference which workshop they would like to be in for that year (and it changes each of the 3 years they are in Basico). During the school year, the talleres become one of their scheduled classes that they go to each day, have exams in, and in general, use to help out the homes. The idea is that, at the end of each year, the students have successfully learned a life skill that they can choose to use if they do not want to continue their education. In addition, the kids who work in the talleres have a HUGE part in everyday life here at NPH.

EVERYDAY In the panaderia: kids make fresh cookies for refa (snack that everyone receives around 10:30 am) and fresh bread which is delivered to each of the houses. In addition, the kids in the panaderia also prepare special baked goods, such as cakes for Quinceneras, and they are hoping to start selling products in nearby towns sometime this year to bring in money to purchase more supplies.

In the sastreria, the kids learn how to sew and use that skill to create all of the school uniforms that are given to each child. They can also fix almost any clothing you bring in that’s in need of a little TLC. (I’m hoping maybe I can learn a thing or two in this taller by the end of the year…)

The belleza is pretty much a beauty school. The kids learn how to cut, color, and style hair, how to properly give manicures and pedicures, and how to apply makeup. In addition, they cut EVERY child at NPH’s hair, as well as any volunteers (who are brave enough!) Apparently you can also get free manicures and pedicures whenever you want (they need to practice - hey it’s for the kids!) so I may be taking advantage of that soon…

In the herreria, the kids learn how to craft metalwork. This skill is used to make TONS of items we have in the house, ranging from doors to tables, chairs to desks to lockers. Most of the items at our home are created by the kids themselves.

The same goes for the carpinteria, where kids make all of the beds, desks, shelving units, etc. that we use. In addition, in both the carpinteria and the herreria, you can specially order ANYTHING you want custom made, and the kids will create it in their class for just the cost of supplies. Pretty sweet!

Anyhoo! The talleres sound like a lot of work but in truth I think they are most of the kids’ favorite part of their day. It allows them a little time outside of a structured classroom where they are learning AND using skills that they can take into the real world :). Overall, I think it’s one of the coolest parts of NPH.