The American School Foundation, A. C., (ASF) in Mexico City planned the building of Centro de Bellas Artes Ángeles Espinosa Yglesias more than 10 years ago. Since March 27th 2012, this dream became real thanks to the support given by Fomento Educacional, A. C.

In an interview with Sloane Starke, former coordinator of The American School Foundation, A.C., Mexico City, she tells us about the details of the project and the involvement of FEAC.

What is the project of Centro de Bellas Artes at ASF?

The Centro de Bellas Artes Ángeles Espinosa Yglesias consists of a theater with 650 seats that can be adjusted into different set-ups. It has a main lobby with a staircase leading to an art gallery on the second floor. The center also has rooms for music and visual arts classes. It offers spaces for producing theater, musical plays, ballroom dances, conferences and receptions.

The building is made of silk-screen printed glass and pre-cast concrete.  The lobby has glass walls on three sides.

What other organizations, foundations and companies have supported this project?

The Fundación Amparo, PepsiCo, Fundación Kaluz, Fundación Hojel Schumacher, and the ASF Parent Association have supported us.

How long have you been working with Fomento Educacional, A.C. and how have they supported you for the Centro de Bellas Artes?

The American School Foundation has a long history of working with Fomento Educacional, A.C. since the nineties. FEAC has supported us financially in order to name the lobby of the theater. They also supported us with the Community Enrichment Academies, the English-teaching academies for SEP teachers.

What has been your experience working with Fomento Educacional, A.C.?

Very professional and positive! Fomento and the Colegio Americano have many values in common.

What do you hope to achieve with this new Centro de Bellas Artes?

Offer the student body and the community in the Bondojito area opportunities to thrive in the arts.

ASF Academies English The Community Cultural Enrichment Academies program has been in existence since 2005. The program is a collaborative project between the American School Foundation, A.C., and the Secretary of Public Education (SEP), with the support of Fomento Educacional, A.C. Through the program, instructors and professors from the American School Foundation carry out a series of courses to train and coach English teachers from public schools in Mexico City.

Professor at the American School Foundation, tells us about her participation in this program. Can you tell us a bit about the Community

Cultural Enrichment Academies program?

The program’s aim is to offer professional training to English teachers from public schools in Mexico City. Thanks to our corporate sponsors, these academies allow the American School Foundation, A.C. to provide its experience in education to the SEP and to its students and public school teachers.

Our sponsors, leaders in their global sectors, are a vital bridge for improving the opportunities of Mexico City’s public school teachers. These academies have become a reality thanks to each of our sponsor’s donations, supporting efforts to improve the education given in the ASF’s academies.

The SEP has accredited these courses so that the teachers can receive teaching credit from the National Mixed Teaching Commission. Through the Federal Educative Services Administration of the Federal District (AFSEDF), the SEP recruits and grants approval to the teachers who will participate in the program. The AFSEDF recognizes the importance of contributing to the formation of individuals who can respond to present time requirements; in other words, citizens who can develop these necessary competencies in order to face a globalized world. Within this context, the teachers in the program become fundamental actors since they are the ones in charge of the formation and development of their students.

The Academy is directed towards SEP teachers who teach English as a foreign language as part of the SEP’s middle school program within their system. It takes into consideration the present English language program. Part of the idea is that the teachers require theoretical and methodological support in order to play an active part in the implementation of the ESL programs, and that the teachers will also benefit from the program with activities that strengthen their English-language knowledge and skills.

The course’s objectives include:

• Familiarization of basic concepts in order to approach the study of culture and its teaching in language classes.
• Exploration of a variety of specific cultural themes (historical, pop-cultural and social aspects, artistic expressions in song, stories and film) and its contextual use in the classroom.
• Tuning of methodological aspects in order to support their work with culture: motivation, evaluation and group dynamics.
• Reinforcement of their own language capacities including reading, oral and written comprehension, with reference to cultural themes.

What has been your experience working with FEAC?

We consider the support we have received from FEAC fundamental to the execution of this project. It has not only benefited an important number of teachers, and played a positive role in their teaching and professional work, but has also left its mark on each of their students and colleagues. FEAC´s contribution is an incentive and impulse for all of the teachers who take part in the Academy since it allows them to grow in their educational practice, receive high-quality preparation and share their teaching experiences in a framework of comradeship and collaborative learning.

What has been experience of the students involved?

The students leave content and with great enthusiasm to put in practice each of the strategies that are proposed to them throughout the course. For them, it is an opportunity to grow personally and professionally being able to share with their colleagues from other institutions not only in the academic space but also the teaching experience.

Since 2011, Fomento Educacional, A.C. has supported the program Jóvenes en Acción, an initiative established in 2010, which seeks to enrich the intercultural links between the United Stated and Mexico through empowerment of young Mexicans.

The program sponsors and trains groups of young students across the country, fostering their leadership and teamwork skills, and supporting the civic project every group develops.

Valerie Cárdenas Dugal is the former coordinator of the program Jóvenes en Acción at the Secretariat of Public Education. In this interview she shares some details about her experience supporting the program.

 

Could you tell us about the program Jóvenes en Acción and what were the results?

This is a very valuable program for the bilateral relationship, and especially for young people. The program strengthens or develops the leadership skills of young participants and fosters the group and generation conscience, motivating them to use social networks for their communication and support. In addressing topics of interest in the community and giving them a space to contribute to the solution or prevention, creates an effect of confidence in young people, of self-empowerment before the situation in their community, and the ability to contribute. It drives them to become real agents of change. It also makes them realize, from an early age, concepts such as team work, solidarity, commitment and responsibility.

 

How would you describe your experience coordinating the program?

It is a very fulfilling experience. As a public official it’s very motivating to know that there are spaces where you can contribute in a positive way, that young people are interested, that authorities are willing and that it’s possible to find support in society in order to carry out plans and actions that create opportunities, and sometimes change, in the life perspective of young people.

 

Their personal growth is impressive, as well as their performance and development, everything after only 10 months. When they arrive they are shy, speak very quietly and don’t ask questions. At the end they walk upright, interact, offer their opinions, contribute and project their voices. It’s very impressive.

 

What has been the feedback of the people involved in the program?

It’s a program with a positive impact for all parties, from the ones who organize, fund, teach and benefit from it.

As a program, it is the perfect example of public-private participation, where the result is a win-win situation for everyone.

 

Which other organizations are supporting the program?

Those who believe in the potential of young people in Mexico, in the commitment of both governments to work together in developing the human capital that will become a leader in the bilateral relationship; those organizations that, given their purpose, are interested in contributing to Mexico’s progress, so that technology gets involved in the way and a cultural transformation is achieved that will foster exchange and a dialog between both countries and their societies.

 

Organizations that bet on the best Mexico has to offer, its people.

 

How long and how has Fomento Educacional, A.C. supported the program Jóvenes en Acción?

Since the second edition in 2011 they have not only been active sponsors of the program, regarding funds for its operation, but also active participants regarding young people, especially the teams in Guanajuato, the State of Mexico, and Jalisco who they have offered a precise follow-up, which has contributed to strengthening the projects of young people and particularly reinforcing their potential.

They have believed in them, advised them, visited them.

Fomento Educacional is a very committed “ally”, and it’s a great privilege to have their active participation.

 

What has been your experience working with Fomento Educacional?

It has been very positive. I think there are a lot of common values, principles and goals that allow the relationship with the program to be seamless, and the experience of working together to be enriching for everyone in order to creatively strengthen and develop collaboration opportunities, all based on an understanding and respect of the invested effort for the success of Jóvenes en Acción. Also, the joint work actively contributes to the building of bridges of dialogue and bilateral exchange.

 

Is there anything else you would like to share with me?

I want to express my sincere thanks for believing in the initiative, and I would like to acknowledge their bet on Mexican youth and their commitment to help this youth become part of the bilateral understanding.