Some background information for those who may have stumbled upon this blog unknowingly:

http://thepeoplesguidetomexico.com/blog/summary-of-tenacatita-violence/

http://thepeoplesguidetomexico.com/blog/required-reading-bimbo-bread-abandoned-resorts-and-a-revolution-betrayed-felisa-rogers-open-salon/

video:Tenacatita: Otra Playa Desalojada 
(this video's in Spanish, but even if you don't speak the language, the visuals are enough)

So how CAN we help with morale-building for our friends in Rebalsito, things that serve the whole community and encourage the physical and emotional well-being of the rancho.

One immediate need is for laptops and/or netbooks. Almost all of the high school assignments require internet access. Many of the students have to go to cibers (places that rent computer time) which can get expensive. We gave one laptop last year to a young woman who's always been at the top of her class, until she started high school and had a hard time keeping up for lack of a computer. Now she's doing very well again, and is super grateful to the donors.

I've been taking a small groups of students (8-12 years old) birding once or twice a month for almost a year, as part of an environmental awareness program with a goal of enabling the students to eventually take tourists out birding. The kids are really into it and it's great for them to be out in nature, walking around, instead of sitting at home in front of the tube. A project I'd like to do with them is to make nesting boxes, so each person could have one in their yard.

My feeling is that the more exposure people get, the more likely it is that something will interest them. Learning by reading, watching TV, or surfing the internet is one thing, but hands on learning really gets people involved. One of the teachers in the middle school asked if there were any solar energy projects that could be done with the kids.

One thing we did several years ago, was connect a class in an elementary school in San Francisco with the equivalent class here. They exchanged letters and drawings (I helped with the translations). Unfortunately the teacher moved the next year, and the new teacher didn't want to continue. I guess with Facebook and the rest of the social media, pen pals are a thing of the past, but something along those lines might be fun.

Now it's your turn. Ideas, anyone?