I often wonder what the best feeling in the world is. A fresh breeze against your cheek and an ice cream in your hand on a very hot day? The feelings you have for your loved ones? Or the feeling you get when it is Friday night and pay day at the same time? No, I think I might have a better one: the feeling you get when a child smiles back at you. It’s a feeling of true happiness and of total invincibility. And for that one brief moment you know that everything is going to be fine. This is a world where only good things happen, no wars, no tears, no bad people. Only love exists. Off course you will wake up from your daydream to a complete different reality, because all those bad things do exists. It is okay, you cannot change the world. But the one thing that you can do is to smile back. Because maybe this child then will keep on smiling for the next 10 minutes, maybe for next hour or even for rest of the day. And that is something. Actually it is worth a lot. I had that great feeling in a kindergarten in Suarez.

 About 2 hours away from the majestic Casa Rosada and the magnificent skyline in the center of Buenos Aires there is a small town called Suarez. To get there take the subte to the Retiro train station, then take a bumble train for around 1 hour, maybe 2 (you will never know with this train) and then get off at the last stop. Then take bus 118. Pass the man who sells fresh sausages and half rotten fruit from his little shop on the back of his bicycle. Drive by the three filthy boys playing soccer in the street while teasing the four girls in school uniforms with beautiful made ponytails. After 5 minutes the bus will drive by a street that overflows with the nearby water waste, but don’t press STOP yet. After five more minutes the bus will go by a huge landfill with old electronic devices, rotten food, old cars and all kinds of human waste. There are small fires everywhere, so you cannot miss the stop. Get off here; this is where the kindergarten is. Remember to say hello to the wild dogs and horses running around, they are actually really friendly. As one might understand, Suarez is not an area where you hope to raise your children. There was this kind of a indifference mood hanging over the whole town. It is hard to explain, but I certainly felt it. I think we all did. Maybe it was the rain and the grey skies, maybe it wasn’t. One thing is for sure though, Suarez is what you will call a shanty town. Even though it is middleclass society the sight of ramshackle houses, the impassable roads, the smell from the landfill, the wild dogs, the idle adults and the water waste everywhere was overwhelming. At least for a Danish girl like me. When I entered the kindergarten in the middle of the landfill, my perspective suddenly changed. As though I entered a different world, a little sanctuary in a big world. Here was a place with joy, laughter and that total innocence only a child can have.

 The kindergarten ismanaged by two passionate teachers, whose roles are not only teachers but also as chief executives. Viviana and Lorena have created a place for the kids in Suarez with room and time for them to learn, develop and play. Despite different backgrounds here the 20 kids are equal. No one is too dirty nor too violent to get a hug or a kiss from Viviana or Lorena. Here, in the middle of the tough and harsh landfill there was a little oasis filled with care and recognition. Some basic needs in all of us, but not a certainty for these kids. This place is nothing like the kindergartens you will find in my home country. This one in Suarez is fifthly, unhygienic and has an uninspiring decor. But that is not the point, because the kids have everything they need: paper, crayons, paint, toys, swings, a climbing frame and lots of children’s books. Maybe these things are 15 years old, half broken or dirty like the town outside the walls, but so what? The kids don’t mind, maybe not even notice, and neither should we. One day Josephina, a volunteer, made paper planes for the kids. What a joy! The kids were overexcited, running around playing soldiers from a previous century. Or like when the other volunteer Rebekka made French braids on the girls. They were all little princesses. Every morning the lucky parents of Suarez drop off their 3-5 years old with Viviana and Lorena. I used the word lucky, because the kindergarten has limited seats. Not every child in town has this amazing opportunity. Normally the kids will stay there for four or five hours. Besides playing around, the kids also gets educated, both school wise and socially.

They learn the letters, numbers, colors, animals but also how to respect, treat and behave around other people. Most of the children know how to spell their name, count to ten and name the colors and animals. The educational learning they take in easily, the social part is more of a challenge. They are happy kids, definitely, but it was clear, that they also have a heavy baggage. We could feel that. Besides being good friends, playful, imaginative, joyful and naughty they were also angry, uncontrollable and desperate for hugs and recognition. I would not say they were neglected from home, because what the hell do I know. Again, they were happy kids, smiling and laughing. But something was smouldering behind these happy faces, something I will never know. What I do know is that this kindergarten has created an opportunity for these kids, a way for both the parents and the kids to believe. Believe in education and believe in the ability for these kids to grow up and be good people. The kindergarten gives the kids some basic needs and tools to handle and stand stronger when facing the world outside. And in Suarez that world can sometimes be scary. Joy and satisfaction can be many different things, depending on your world. For the kids in Suarez it is as simple as a paper plane. I refuse to write some cliché about us taking things for granted, not appreciating the small things. Because it is not about that. It is simply and literally about different worlds, different perspectives. That day in Suarez I was lucky enough to experience another world than my own. Not a simpler world or a more black and write world, simply just different.  As I wrote in the beginning, you cannot change the world, and it would be too obvious to end up saying that the world can change you. Why do we need change, why not just absorb, take in and learn from the different feelings we get during the day. I believe that feelings are the strongest tools to add new perspectives to your world. And the smile I got from the kids in Suarez might have added tons of new perspectives to my world. And I owe these kids a lot for that. Conversely, one might hope that the smiles I send back did the same to them.      

Many people who have been left outside the labor market are now creating their own way of business recovery. Some of these initiatives emerge from social organizations that pro-vide training, resources and motivation to grow. The Role of Networks and the Contribution of the State The first step is always the hardest. Therefore, the initial push is extremely valuable. As far as business ventures go, the civil society organizations are often `the push` engines. It is them who —due to proximity, presence, principles and knowledge—provide training to small entrepreneurs, help securing sources for funding and develop a method of operation so the wheel keeps on turning. Of course, while these proposals kick-start the process, the big challenge is to keep the ma-chinery going over time. At that point, the link with other stakeholders becomes the key. Especially with the State, who through social programs, subsidies and credits, can provide sustainability to such initiatives. "In most marginalized sectors, from which they have removed the possibility of accessing technical training, the presence of NGOs and the State facilitates retrieval of knowledge and experiences that enable the development of more complex forms of association. Probably, in many cases, the experience of these entrepreneurs spreads to family operated workshops and various forms of solidarity", says Patrick Griffin, president of the National Institute of Social Economy (INAES, in spanish).

Necessary Ties As its name implies, the organization Voluntario Global works to develop volunteer pro-grams that seek to promote social awareness and generate opportunities for integration, often through education. "We were pushing kids to finish highschool, to continue studying, but how are they supposed to do that? It is impossible for them to get a part-time job and attend University of Buenos Aires at the same time", says Valeria Gracia, co-founder of the organization. That crossroads, however, was the starting point for a cooperative called Su Lavandería, a run by young people from low-income sectors of southern Buenos Aires. This cooperative has been running for four years and was made possible by a collaborative network. Voluntario Global develops works in the sustainable tourism sector and is connect-ed to the Cámara Argentina de Hostels, which raised the need for a reliable laundry service that would allow them to take their sheets, towels and more. A hotel owner contacted a laundry machine business that sold them the first equipments at a good price. Meanwhile an international volunteer program from Spain and England began the search for grants, and they obtained the YPF Foundation for young entrepreneurs, which allowed for the laundry to open in 2008. The State became an important link in this process, through its Ministry of Labor Productive Program, which financed the purchase of three additional machines allow-ing more job positions. Today there are seven washing machines working and nine young individuals employed. "The laundry room could function with four people and be more efficient, but the goal is to generate as many cooperative job positions as possible," affirms the coordinator and em-phasizes that "the goal is not for these individuals to always work there "but for this to be "a passing cooperative" where they are able to study and at the same time experience "anoth-er type of work". So while they generate income in Su Lavandería, David is preparing to be a physical education teacher, Ariel is about to be a be a graduate in Odontology and Anabella is finishing highschool. "I am impressed at how this has grown. When I first arrived there were two washing machines and now there’s no space for anything; this is very good.

There’s a new ironing board... it is good that we continue with this", she gets excited before the cameras that record the fourth anniversary of the cooperative. Without the contribution of these social organizations and the State, Su Lavandería would not be have been possible In addition, the young people who are now leading this initiative would have surely had to abandon or postpone their studies. As long as the wheel keeps turning, these boys and girls will complete their studies and begin to look for jobs related to their interests and others will have a chance to resolve their studies by working in ´Su La-vandería´ project. Equitable Sharing The way in which the members of each organization are economically organized is key to ensuring their continuity and smooth operation. Following this aspect, Alameda Foundation put the focus on working with the Qom community in Formosa. "We, along with the CGT’s Human Rights Secretariat, have an obligation to monitor this as we are responsible for the machines (seized in sweatshops). In that context, we proposed an equitable distribution of income and if that does not happen, the contract for the loan terminates ”, declares Tamara Rosenberg, member of the organization. Thus, the mere existence of the project was subject to the equitable distribution of profits. The same premise applies for Añatuya, in Santiago del Estero, among the weavers of the Haciendo Caminos Foundation. "We have fairs once a month where we introduce and sell our work, and the money is distributed among the students of the workshop" confirms Etel Carrion, the coordinator. This is about —she affirms— “dignifying women”.  Original spanish version Muchas personas que habían quedado al margen del mercado laboral encontraron en el aprendizaje de un oficio y la creación de un emprendimiento propio el camino a su reinclusión. Algunas de esas iniciativas, surgen al amparo de las organizaciones sociales que aportan capacitación, recursos y el impulso necesario para crecer.

El rol de las redes y el aporte del Estado. Textos: LUCIANA ROSENDE El primer paso siempre es el más difícil. Por eso, el empuje inicial tiene tanto valor. Si de emprendimientos se trata, las Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil constituyen muchas veces los motores de ese impulso. Es que sonellas las que –por cercanía, presencia, convicción y conocimiento– aportan a pequeños emprendedores la capacitación, ayudan a procurar fuentes de financiamiento y desarrollan el modus operandi para que la rueda empiece a girar. Claro que, si bien estas propuestas permiten poner en marcha los engranajes, el gran desafío es que, con el paso del tiempo, la maquinaria siga funcionando. Allí, entonces, se vuelve clave el vínculo con otros actores sociales, sobre todo con el Estado que, a través de programas sociales, subsidios y créditos, puede aportar sustentabilidad a este tipo de iniciativas. “En los sectores más marginales, a los cuales se les quitó la posibilidad de acceso a la formación técnica, la presencia de ONG y del Estado facilita la recuperación de saberes y experiencias que permiten el desarrollo en formas asociativas de mayor complejidad. Probablemente, en muchos casos la experiencia de estos emprendedores se va extendiendo a talleres familiares y a diversas formas de asociativismo”, destaca Patricio Griffin, presidente del Instituto Nacional de Economía Social (Inaes). Lazos necesarios Como su nombre lo indica, la organización Voluntario Global trabaja en el desarrollo de programas de voluntariado que buscan promover la conciencia social y generar oportunidades de integración, muchas veces mediante la educación. “Estábamos impulsando a chicos para que terminaran el secundario, para que siguieran estudiando, pero, ¿cómo iban a hacer? Si para ellos es imposible conseguir un trabajo de medio tiempo y llegar a la Universidad de Buenos Aires”, relata Valeria Gracia, coordinadora de la entidad. Esa encrucijada, sin embargo, fue el punto de partida para la cooperativa de trabajo Su Lavandería, puesta en marcha y atendida por jóvenes de sectores de bajos recursos económicos del sur porteño. La iniciativa, que ya cumplió cuatro años, fue posible gracias a una red de colaboraciones. Voluntario Global desarrolla tareas de turismo sustentable y está vinculada a la Cámara de Hostels, que planteó la necesidad de contar con una lavandería de confianza para llevar sus sábanas, toallas y demás. Un hotelero hizo el contacto conuna empresa de máquinas lavadoras, que vendió a buen precio los primeros equipos. En tanto, un voluntariado internacional de España e Inglaterra se puso en campaña para la búsqueda de subsidios, y una beca de 8 la Fundación YPF para jóvenes emprendedores permitió que, en el 2008, la lavandería comenzara a funcionar. Los eslabones de esta cadena incluyen al Estado, que, a través del Programa de Entramados Productivos del Ministerio de Trabajo de la Nación, financió la compra de tres máquinas más y permitió generar nuevos puestos de trabajo. Hoy, hay siete lavadoras encendidas y nueve jóvenes trabajando. “La lavandería podría trabajar con cuatro personas y ser más eficiente, pero el objetivo es generar la mayor cantidad de puestos cooperativos”, aclara la coordinadora y enfatiza que “el objetivo no es que los chicos se queden”, sino que sea una “cooperativa de paso” en la que puedan estudiar y, al mismo tiempo, experimentar “otra manera de trabajar”. Por eso, mientras obtienen un ingreso en Su Lavandería, David se prepara para ser profesor de Educación Física; Ariel está a punto de recibirse de odontólogo y Anabella está terminando el secundario a través del Plan FinEs. “Me impresiona cómo creció. Cuando vine había dos máquinas y ahora no hay espacio para nada; está rebueno. Hay una plancha nueva… está bueno que sigamos adelante”, se emociona ella ante las cámaras que registran el cuarto cumpleaños de la cooperativa. Sin el aporte de las OSC y del Estado, Su Lavandería no sería posible. A su vez, sin la opción de este tipo de emprendimiento, los jóvenes que hoy protagonizan esta iniciativa seguramente ya habrían tenido que abandonar o postergar sus estudios. Si la rueda sigue girando, cuando estos chicos y chicas concluyan sus carreras y ya estén buscando empleos acordes con sus intereses, otros tendrán la chance de solventar sus estudios haciendo pie en Su Lavandería, la de todos. Reparto equitativo El modo en que se organizan económicamente los miembros de cada emprendimiento es clave para garantizar su continuidad y buen funcionamiento. Por eso, en ese aspecto puso el foco la Fundación Alameda al trabajar junto a la comunidad qom, en Formosa. “Nosotros, junto con la Secretaría de Derechos Humanos de la CGT tenemos la obligación de monitorear porque somos responsables de las máquinas (incautadas en talleres clandestinos). En ese marco, planteamos un reparto equitativo de los ingresos; si eso no pasa, se da por terminado el comodato”, advierte Tamara Rosenberg, miembro de la organización. De este modo, la existencia misma del proyecto quedó supeditada a la distribución igualitaria de las ganancias. La misma premisa rige en Añatuya, Santiago del Estero, entre las tejedoras de telar de la fundación Haciendo Camino. “Hacemos ferias una vez al mes donde se vende y se expone, y ese dinero se reparte entre las alumnas del taller”, afirma Etel Carrión, la coordinadora. Se trata –afirma– de “dignificar a la mujer". Para leer la nota completa que salió en el la edición impresa podés suscribirte a la revista aquí

by Stine Albrechtsen  Purple trees, exotic smells, tango shows, big steaks and magnificent wine.

I heard nothing but good things about this city before I arrived, so, as one might guess, my expectations were set high. I left cold and grey Denmark in the middle of November, the first month of the hard and dark winters we have in Northern Europe. I always wanted to experience Buenos Aires, and if you ask why, I have no answer. It came to me a couple years ago, maybe I heard some Argentinian music, heard a travel story or saw something on the news. Anyways now I am here, not regretting my decision. Buenos Aires is a strange city. It is slow and fast going at the same time. It is ugly with an unquestionable beauty. It is extremely friendly and your worst enemy. It is everything, taking care of the good and the bad. Restaurants and cafes on every corner, tons of cultural wonders and events, pollution, trash, gigantic boulevards with non-stopping honking, majestic mansions three minutes from the shanty towns, pocket thief’s, street theatre and always this breathtaking history. Like all big cities or capitals. Could I just as well be in Rio, Barcelona or even Hong Kong? No. Who am I kidding; this city is one of a kind. I was given an assignment to write about Buenos Aires from a “25-something-girl-from-a-small-town-in-Denmark-Scandinavia” point of view.  I guess it is no fun to write about the things that have made me cry, so my approach will be to write about the things that made me fall in love. And that will work, because I am completely and without any doubt head over heels with the big and beautiful BA. I do not know the best way to explore the city. My way to do it is a combination of personal wishes, recommendations from guidebooks, travel blogs or the local porteños, spontaneous ideas and then, most important, or I just go with the flow.  I am no expert; I only have been here for something that feels like 20 minutes or forever. Actual time: 3 weeks. Let us begin. …How to meet new people Well that is actually very easy: go to a cemetery. Odd? At my second day in the city I went to Cementorio de la Recoleta, you know, the place where Eva Perón lies buried. Did you know her body was stolen by the way? It was - for nearly 20 years. Only three years after the whole country buried their true queen, angry anti- Perón forces stole Eva’s remains in the wake of a coup that deposed her husband, President Juan Perón. The body of the beloved Evita became a global odyssey, traveled across the world in the wrongs hands, including a new burial in Milan. Almost 20 years went by before Eva, the saint of Argentina, was back in the arms of a country, who had been craving her present and strength for the past 20 years of violence and chaos. This woman had reached a saint status, despite her early death in 1952, at the age of 33 she lost the battle to cancer. Her husband remarried again in 1961 to Isabel Martinez – an exotic dancer who he met during his exile in Panama. To add a little extra twist to the story of the Perón family, Isabel actually became the president of Argentina after the loss of her husband in 1974. From exotic dancer to being president of eighth largest country in the world - that is some career advancement! Well, back to my original purpose: the cemetery of Recoleta is an extremely beautiful place to visit. Both inside among the great tombs and outside under the shades of the purple trees.  The sight inside has a formally mood, while the outside area is brimming with life: the locals are gossiping the latest news of the neighborhood while drinking mate and smoking cigarettes. Tourists are writing postcards and eating colorful ice-creams from one the three famous helado shops surrounding the park (try one!). There are young backpackers on the grass drinking wine and playing guitar. And that beautiful young Argentinian girl longing for a lullaby. Go here. You will definitely meet someone: a new friend, a travel buddy, a pickpocket or maybe even your soul mate. I met an American couple in their late sixties on their last week of a three month trip across South America. I shared beers with them the following day.   …How to learn the language If you think you are rock star with Spanish, change your beliefs. The Argentinians are like their capital when it comes to the Spanish language: unique, too fast and nothing like you have ever experienced before. So here is an extra challenge on top of the 240 others you will be faced during you stay here. But I want to learn. Every time I get the opportunity to speak to a local, I try. If I am lucky, they understand fragments. Maybe they understand just as much as Isabel understood her country and its people. Fragments. As one might know, the weather in Buenos Aires can be extremely sweat provoked during December and January. I have found a little oasis where I can actually manage to stay alive during the hot hours of the day: Plaza General San Martin. I like to go there with my (at the moment) favorite book, ‘And the Mountains Echoed’, a cold soda and a fruit box from the local kiosko. One day when I was in the middle of the fourth chapter, an older woman with her 7 month old grandson joined me on the bench. We introduced each other, her name was Laura. I asked for recommendations for good restaurants, but instead of a proper answer I got a story: the story of San Martin, the war hero whose name laid the foundation to this nice park. The good Jose Francisco de San Martin is, according to Laura’s utterances, the true liberator of South America. The general was the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire. Well, thank you Jose! He was born in Corrientes, but moved to Malaga at the age of seven to study. In the year of 1812 (or something like that, Laura was not fully sure) he set sail for Buenos Aires and became buddies with the supporters for independence from Spain. It seems they got along very well, because they even managed to establish their own army; The Army of the Andes. After crossing the Andes on a mule (and noton a great white horse as the majestic statue in the middle of the parks tells) he and his friends freed Chile and Peru. Laura was just about to tell me the rest of the story when her grandson started crying. She had to leave, and kiss-kiss-chao she was gone. But I sure learned a lot of the Argentinian “language” that wonderful hour in the park of General San Martin. By the way: The Order of the Liberator General San Martin is the highest decoration one can receive by the Argentine government. I read that when I got home that day, curious by Laura’s story. When I have more time I need to find out what happened to this handsome war hero.

So to sum up: if you want to learn the language, take a couple of hours out of your day and find a bench in a nice park. If a porteño (well, that is the name of the people of Buenos Aires) does not join you in 10 minutes or so, find one and ask for restaurant recommendation.   …How to treat your taste buds Note: if you are a vegetarian just jump to the next chapter, I am sorry but you will not find anything useful here. Or maybe you will, I guess it depends - if you like street art and artsy areas you can keep on going. The area is called Heaven on Earth by the author of my travel book. He lingers on with flattering words like trendsetting, a perfect get-away and magnificent. Palermo is the barrio of great restaurants, hip nightlife, local cafes and famous street art located north-west of the city centre. Of course I had to go there day one. And yes: I entered heaven on earth. It was the first real summer evening, so the girls of Buenos Aires wore their new summer dresses for the first time. So did I. As I wrote in the beginning of this article it is all about falling in love with the beautiful BA. As for me, I met my loved one in a Palermo restaurant close to midnight. BOOM! As a warm breeze hit my face I saw him for the first time. He was the most perfect thing, I have ever seen. Tender, delicious and finger licking hot. He was something; he was a Bife de Chorizo. I know it sounds crazy but when you literally want to make love to a piece of steak, you know you have entered heaven on earth. Such a shame I was in a public restaurant. Go to Palermo and fall in love. Maybe not with an actually human being (maybe?), but definitely with the Argentinian food culture. That is certainly a way to kick your taste buds to the moon and back. With the touch of my new love fresh in my memory I walked around Palermo. This barrio is divided into a couple of sub-areas: Palermo Chico, Palermo Viejo, Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood. One more trendy and more fantastic than the other. Just walking around cozy cafés, beautiful parks, fancy shops, local galleries - all covered with amazing, colorful and provocative street art. You constantly want to sit down in a café, on the pavement, whatever, just to take in the atmosphere of this area. Luckily there are many places to do so. And if you feel that you haven’t treated your taste buds enough: Go to Soria Bar in Palermo Hollywood and taste their mojitos!

I could keep and keep on writing about this concrete wonder. I always love to write about feelings, so I think I will end this article doing so. Expect to be touched by different, and sometimes completely conflicting, feelings during your time here. It is a love and hate relationship, an emotional roller-coaster. One moment you feel on top of the world, the next moment ready to leave this confusing car crash jungle overcrowded with freaks. Happiness and sadness are two feelings living as close neighbors in your heart, and an experience, a memory, is a car crash of different feelings. If you want to experience, expect to feel. In this city you feel a thousand different things during one day. And feel lucky for that. Because that brings you three times as many memories.

...By the way, I no longer doubt why they call this city Buenos Aires – the winds are actually what gets you through the day.

Article by Florian Wieser

On the 12th of October, Argentina celebrates the day of cultural diversity in America. The Argentine government introduced the day in 2007 with the aim to raise awareness of the situation of the original inhabitants of Argentina, who still suffer from disadvantages and discrimination. At the same time it is an appeal for a more just and fair society. Although Argentina is largely influenced by immigration, being the country that has welcomed the second largest number of immigrants in total worldwide, indigenous people still account for a vital part of Argentine society. According to studies of the University of Buenos Aires, 56% of the Argentinians have at least one indigenous forefather. A census undertaken by the National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina (INDEC) in 2010 shows that about 900.000 (2.4% of the whole population) actually claim to be indigenous, which means that they live according to their traditions and cultural habits of their people. Most of these indigenous peoples can be found in the North-West (e.g. Quechua, Diaguita), North-East (e.g. Guarani, Mocovi) and the South (e.g. Mapuche, Tehuelche) of the country, although a lot of Indians have already moved to the bigger cities due to better working opportunities.

Not very long ago, introducing a day to raise awareness of the indigenous peoples, their needs and their interests, would have been impossible. Since the foundation of Argentina, Indians were treated as intruders rather than as Argentine citizens – most of their land was given to the state or the military, many of them were killed. Until the end of the military dictatorship in 1983, the indigenous population was suppressed and ignored. It wasn’t until 1994 that equal rights for indigenous people compared to Argentine citizens was officially recognized by the country’s constitution! However, by that time, the century-long suppression had already caused serious damage. Due to the exclusion of large parts of the education system, many of the native languages have been lost. Today only 10% of the people who count themselves to the indigenous population are able to speak a native language. Although education possibilities have been greatly increased in recent years, the illiteracy rate among Indians is still incredibly high. There are peoples in which almost one third of the members are unable either to read or write, a value that lies far above the Argentine average (INDEC, 2004). This accounts as well for the rate of poverty. On average, 14% of the Argentine population can’t afford what they require to meet their basic needs whereas the rate among the native Indians lies at about 25% (Eglau, 2010). As the Catholic University of Buenos Aires states, more than 80% of the Indian population living in rural areas of the country is suffering from malnourishment.

However, what actually bothers them most is the fact that the land that was once taken from them has still not been returned. The land plays an integral part in Indian tradition. It’s where they live, where they seed potatoes, where they work together, where they worship “pachamama“, mother earth. However there is some hope that the Indians can reclaim their former territories again soon. About 4 million hectares of land have already been returned to indigenous societies, 15 million are still being checked by Argentine authorities (Deutsche Welle, 2010). It would be a first step to further secure the continuity of indigenous life in Argentina. However, to secure a society in which native inhabitants have the same opportunities as Argentines of European origin, it seems that there is still a long way to go.

In our last meeting, our international team discussed what problems we found with our respective education systems. This time we focussed on possible solutions, and found out what alternative education systems exist, in order to encourage us to think outside the box and make us really question what education is all about.

To start the session we watched a documentary on a rural, community-led school in Mexico that rejects the typical authoritarian ideology that schools worldwide conventionally use. Instead, their school was inspired by the principles of a workers’ collective - the opinions of the children and their parents being just as fundamental to the intrinsic workings of their educational system as those of the teachers and the relevant governmental body. The focus on authority and submission was replaced with that of active participation, and everyone was encouraged to express their personal preferences on what they wanted to learn. In the documentary, it was recognised that this system led to a somewhat chaotic and disorganised atmosphere, but this was considered positive rather than negative, referred to as ‘constructive chaos’ and becoming an integral part of the education itself: encouraging children to listen to their peers as well as to express ideas eloquently and persuasively, thus developing efficient communication abilities from an early age. By allowing children to choose their own curriculum, the concept of who should decide what is important to learn for each individual is put into question.

This documentary sparked both praise and criticism. Many of us recognised that our own education systems, at least when we were of a younger age, left us very little room to decide for ourselves what exactly we learnt, and that respecting authority without question was considered an essential lesson to be taught at both primary and secondary schools. Some agreed on the fact that even at a university level, many students were reluctant to take part in debates, preferring to remain quiet rather than risk embarrassing themselves. Encouraging open debate at a young age may help certain types of people overcome this fear of public speaking. Furthermore, choosing your own curriculum could help discourage the typical student ‘cram, write, forget’ exam technique in favour of a longer-lasting memory of the specific subject matter you find personally relevant and interesting. It could also promote a more in-depth, dynamic approach to independent thinking and research, created by a real desire to ask questions and find out more about this particular subject, putting you in good stead for an academically successful future.

However, leaving children to decide their own curriculum has obvious complications. Whilst students may feel that a lot of what they learn is irrelevant to their lives and is quickly forgotten after an exam splurge, having a national curriculum is useful not only in allowing us to maintain teacher standards, but also by aiming to give students a well-rounded knowledge of the world around them before letting them specialise, rather than allowing them to remain in their own comfort zone. In the case of this school in a small, self-sufficient farming community in Mexico, the danger of leaving the children’s education in the hands of the locals could potentially mean students intentionally limit their own knowledge to more relevant manual skills, rather than pushing themselves to learn about what lies outside of their little bubble - for example, cultures they have little or no previous exposure to - creating a future community that is ultimately closed-off from the rest of society.

The encouragement of ‘constructive chaos’ and getting a say in your own education may well be problematic in practice, but the point of this discussion was not necessarily to come up with concrete solutions straight away, but rather to get people talking about other options and knowing that our own education systems could benefit from changes inspired by these types of schools. Join the debate! Follow me on twitter: @Charlotte_Amey