Today was the peace education workshop. Much of the emphasis was on gangs or pandillas and associated violence. At one point we separated the kids into small groups, and discussed these issues. We would ask, “¿Por que existen las pandillas?” which is, “Why do people join the gangs?” And also, “Si fueras el presidente, que harias?” which is “What can we do about them?”
Every child in our group was interacting and paying close attention. Not only did they seem to have a clear understanding of the situation, but some were cynical about there even being solutions to the crime problem. Los matariamos – the same thing though, we pointed out.
The kids have incredible amounts of energy. We’ve had some behavior issues with a few, who literally cannot and will not sit still for more than a few seconds and then go on to become distractions for the other kids during workshops. It is an interesting, blurry line that the children draw, between us as their friends versus their authority figures.
None of us want to punish or ostracize those with attention issues. We have devised a strategy to deal with them: giving those kids special tasks or responsibilities, which channel their energy, and allow us to keep an eye on them. These are also, interestingly enough, some of the brightest kids in the group.