Classroom Pages - Costa Verde International School

Welcome to the Ideal World

Elle Magazine / Spanish Edition

By Sara Galindo

January 2009
English translation

PROJECT SAYULITA

Goethe used to say “ Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be, and he will become as he can and should be”. Today, school should not be a place were you go to store data and information, today it is a tool to project what we want to become in the future as human beings. School should prepare the community for the future and although it can present itself as more or less predictable, it is possible to imagine and modify its path. We can not know exactly what we should do but what we can’t not do anything at all. This is a task in which we are all required to learn. This is the reason why, today, school should be more than a space reserved for the little ones, it should be a space of intergenerational learning.

For the Costa Verde project they imagined an alternative model that is being currently practiced. This model consists of a tree with 3 leaves: Costa Verde International School, Costa Verde Sustainable Resource Center and the Costa Verde Cultural Center. This project has as its base the economical, social and ecological factors needed in order to generate a structure that is balanced and just towards the community and future generations. The idea is for the school to be active in the community and for it to be a cultural center that promotes diversity. This philosophy has led them to integrate international programs and to obtain local recognition.

Sayulita is a paradisiacal and utopic town whose uncontrolled growth has created certain problems. The tourist development has created jobs but at the same time it has devastated the jungle. International relationships have been created but there has also been a cultural shock. The school seeks to be a bridge, a point of encounter and in some cases of confrontation. It has been useful for the community because it generates dialogue and therefore action.

In the physical plane there is the evident: The garden, recycling bins, participation in the creation of a community recycling center and the architectural plan that incorporates ecotechnologies and alternative building methods. The not so evident but that make this project something much more profound: The link with the local and global community, horizontal relationships, the understanding of the value of time and the constant attention towards the community and its perceptions and most important of all, the consciousness that we are all part of a continuous learning process.

You should know that…

Alternative education should be within everyone’s reach. There is a program that has permitted them to scholar 35% of the students in its first year of operating.
They maintain a barter program where parents trade their knowledge and time in exchange for their child’s education.
They want to create social webs, relate with organizations and schools that are interested in their communities and the world’s future.
They believe in the richness of diversity and that the future lies in sharing visions and experiences.

Do you want to know more about this project and/or are you interested in helping out with the scholarship program?

Visit the web page: www.colegiocostaverde.com

Or call (329) 291.33.55 or (329) 291.32.22