Though the commute to the Cincinnati office is not usually surrounded by lush greenery, two of our US staff members got to share their commute with their Guatemalan counterparts in late July when they joined the Rise Scholarship Team in Guatemala to shadow local Rise facilitators working in the field for two days. Rise facilitators play an integral role in helping students succeed.
From academic guidance to emotional support, they make sure that Rise students know they’re not alone in their journey to overcome systemic poverty.
Read on to follow the adventures of our awesome Sponsorship Coordinator and Development Specialist—McKinley and Jenny—who make up the US Rise Team!
The team hiking to a home visit.
Day One:
Waking early and driving from Antigua to San Martín, the US staff saw three home visits firsthand. The team visited three students, each for common reasons that facilitators encounter.
Marcos, a 10th grader, was close to leaving the program because he felt discouraged by his academics and was considering working in the fields or migrating. His Rise facilitator worked toward finding ways for him to continue in school, but ultimately reassured him that the decision belonged to him and his family.
Before leaving, Marcos’ facilitator asked him to consider his future with the question, “What is heavier, a pencil or a hoe?”
The next student to receive a visit, a 7th grader named Selvin, was a short drive and hike away. Selvin and his family joyously received CoEd’s staff into their home, as they have previously welcomed the Rise facilitators who have visited to check on Selvin and his family. Selvin’s mother raised him and his siblings on her own but emphasized how important education is to her. A proud older brother, Selvin shared his eagerness for his sister to join him in the Rise program next year when she starts middle school.
After leaving Selvin’s home, the team traveled to visit Fray, an 8th grader. Fray also has a sister joining the Rise program. Seeing how excitedly Fray’s family opened their home to CoEd’s facilitators made it clear how the facilitators are much more than just mentors. Facilitators’ roles are often varied and encompass responsibilities beyond academic support. During Fray’s home visit, they explored opening a bank account to receive both Fray’s and his sister’s payment from the Rise program. Fray’s mother is unable to open an account under her name, but luckily, Fray is old enough to open a checking account with the support of his local facilitators. After making plans to meet with Fray and his family to open his account, the CoEd team left for their last activity of the day.
Artwork created by students during the Rise workshop.
After home visits, the US staff looked forward to sitting in on a workshop for the community to which Marcos, Selvin, and Fray belong. This workshop covered discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes. As students entered the classroom, facilitators welcomed them each by name. Our US staff had a taste of what being a Rise scholar is like, participating in icebreakers and different activities that had them up on their feet and even outside. All students were called on to participate by their facilitators and engaged with materials made by their local facilitator using the supplied Rise curriculum.
Day Two:
On the next day of shadowing, the US staff members had the opportunity to see Rise students’ deliver their social project. After half a year of preparation, Rise students in their last year of school are required to complete a social project benefiting their community. This group of Rise students chose to engage with children at a primary school in their community, giving a workshop about the importance of protecting the environment. They did an amazing job delivering the workshop in Spanish, Kaqchikel (a Maya language), and even some English! After their presentation, the group of high school students passed out over 500 tree saplings to the children to plant around the community. The entire presentation and development of the project was created by the soon to be Rise graduates, with their facilitator present for support and guidance.
After seeing the joy on both high school and elementary school students’ faces, the CoEd team moved on to home visits in the same community. All visits were conducted in Kaqchikel, translated by their local facilitator into Spanish for visiting staff.
Sponsorship Coordinator McKinley with students at the workshop.
Primary school students participating in the workshop led by Rise students at Hacienda María.
The team first visited Gela, a 10th grader who has faced many challenges in her education and even lost motivation earlier in her academic career. Since then, Gela has turned her grades around and is working hard despite recently losing her father while her mother also became very ill. Undeterred by this hardship, Gela shared her gratitude for CoEd’s support and emphasized that her motivation is helping her sisters support her mom’s medical needs. Fortunately, Gela doesn’t need to be strong on her own—though her two older sisters hadn’t had the opportunity to study, they work hard to support Gela in her studies so that she has a chance to succeed.
The team traveling to the next home visit.
Next, the team visited Maricela, a 9th grader who was struggling in Math class. During her visit, the Rise supervisor shared a Youtube channel that can help with topics she has trouble with. Together, they walked through a video on a phone and an example, showing Maricela how to invest her time into making the most of the resources available to her.
Lastly, the team visited Andy, a 7th grader, and his family with many younger siblings joined in. Even the youngest had her hands folded in front of her listening attentively, nodding along. At his young age, Andy is already excelling at school and has worked to support his family. His mother was previously bedridden, though that didn’t hinder Andy’s academic ambition. Andy’s visit closed the trip on a hopeful note, as his facilitator congratulated him and his family in his native language of Kaqchikel, sharing that everyone on the Rise team sees his potential, hard work, and all encourage him to continue.
Every home visit and activity showed just how instrumental Rise facilitators and supervisors are for Rise scholarship recipients.
Though these two days were a mere peek into the everyday life of a facilitator, the accountability, guidance, and encouragement that students receive from their Rise program support system makes a lasting impact.