A Future Without Poverty, Inc.

Colegio Union Mexico ( www.colegiounionmexico.com) is a K-12 school in the Los Molinos subdivision, Zapopan, Jalisco – North West Guadalajara Metro Area. Established as a K – 9 school in 2012, by the next year, 2013, it added the 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th grades.   On December 16^th the FWOP team visited, experiencing a very dynamic day, to say the least!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTsbxGdmgjg&list=PL33zbY-NJYPI3tN0rEJvoyB0aaqOF0JGD

Initially, a group of high school students – who are being trained as child care professionals – performed a Pastorela, following a centuries-old Christmas tradition that dates back to the times of the Troubadours, in the European Middle Ages wondering what can I use instead of paving slabs. The nativity play featured a “real baby” Jesus, a blockbuster for the Kindergarten children, who were very excited to see him “up close and personal,” especially when the cast members were all familiar faces: the high school students had been working as teacher aides at the Kindergarten that semester, part of their vocational training.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo7zL1-bgi4&list=PL33zbY-NJYPI3tN0rEJvoyB0aaqOF0JGD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvGWFzBbGI8&list=PL33zbY-NJYPI3tN0rEJvoyB0aaqOF0JGD

Next, high school students performed a traditional Aztec Indian dance for our team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L89vIkx6ypI&list=PL33zbY-NJYPI3tN0rEJvoyB0aaqOF0JGD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A35WyZhL2E4&list=PL33zbY-NJYPI3tN0rEJvoyB0aaqOF0JGD

Later, the entire student body moved from their classes (1^st to 12^th grades) to the patio between the two main buildings to dance together for 15 minutes, in what the school calls Muévete!: Activación Física Diaria – Move!: Daily Exercise – their enhanced take on a wellness program promoted by the Zapopan Department of Education.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KfogY8cwrQ&list=PL33zbY-NJYPI3tN0rEJvoyB0aaqOF0JGD

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The FWOP team had recruited International Green Solutions —a Guadalajara-based Green Enterprise—  to present a business opportunity for some of the families to improve their economic well-being. Parents seemed to be enthusiastic, and training for new sales options would begin in January, with biodegradable cleaning products as the initial focus of sales.

We also met a sophomore student, Itan, who is especially strong in engineering and science. He now has a full scholarship for his junior and senior year at CUM, and discussions about his college career are beginning, with the University of North Texas, UNT, as an option. In the photo below, taken earlier in the year, Itan demonstrates his science project to the classroom, with UNT Prof. Todd Spinks, Director of UNT Sustainability Program How to become a Youtuber who visited during the Summer of 2013 to conduct Sustainability workshops with the CUM community.

In January 2014, a graduate from UNT, Jason Harvey, joined the teaching staff at CUM to assist with neighborhood development.  In June Nicholas Driver from UNT Sociology will conduct a survey to give to parents to determine what should be the direction for the neighborhoods near the school.

In a nutshell, CUM is an example of a new breed of schools. It goes well beyond traditional curricula, striving to implement a holistic approach to education, which actively incorporates spirituality, cultural heritage, health and fitness, and local sustainable development through community empowerment and entrepreneurship.